


The Worst Assignment

by A_Writer_of_Whimsy



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-08 04:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4290444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Writer_of_Whimsy/pseuds/A_Writer_of_Whimsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After talking back to a superior officer, Cloud Strife is given the task none in ShinRa want: to be General Sephiroth's personal bodyguard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not-So-Civil Disobedience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my debut on Ao3! I'll update the fic every Friday (if possible I may do two chapters at once if I can). I will let you know if any hiatus or problems happen on the main author page. Please enjoy!
> 
> Update: A scene has been added featuring Sephiroth.

The morning started off with a literal BANG! Cloud and his company fell out of the bunks, cursing up a storm as they shot out of their cramped bunker beneath Sector 8. Cloud didn't bother with full gear, just grabbed his gun and ran out into the battle heavy street. He thanked the gods he decided to sleep in his shirt and pants, suspecting the enemy might hit them soon. Still, no armor meant no protection.

And the street was a storm of bullets. Right across the way in an old three level shopping plaza, a group of terrorists shot at his comrades. They'd been smart, using the upper levels to keep the literal high ground. Screams cut off as the shots found their mark, not at the ShinRa soldiers, but instead some poor men setting up their market wares for the day.

Cloud didn't wait for the order; he fired at the windows in short bursts. He noted his Sergeant shouting orders at a few Third Class soldiers to hit the enemy hiding in the shop across the street. The cover and suppressing fire might not hit anything, but it'd give the Thirds a chance to charge over and attack. Civilians behind Cloud were screaming, fleeing the scene as two of his infantry group helped them get out of the crosshairs. Chaos reigned for all of an hour, with Cloud picking off the attackers one by one in each window.

Finally, the Thirds signaled out the top windows, fists clenched in a victory pose. Cloud sighed as he aimed his weapon off to the side. Needless deaths, all of it. _What the hell did these guys hope to accomplish?_ He shook his head, clearing away the battle as much as he could in the moment. He moved with his company over to Sergant Pace, a man with more muscle than brains but a good enough heart.

Pace smirked at Cloud's appearance before he said, "I'd tell you to drop and give me twenty, but damn that was some nice shootin'."

Cloud ducked his head to hide his small smile. "Thank you, sir." Another infantryman gave him a friendly enough punch to the shoulder, but Cloud still grunted in pain.

"Yeah, Strife, way to get some!"

"More than you ever got, Nat," muttered someone in the back.

"Oi! That shit's uncalled for!" Nathan twirled around trying to find the wise guy, but Pace glared him into line.

"Alright ladies, time for clean up and recovery. Get the dead meat into bags and on the incoming trucks. We wanna be outta here in time for lunch, so no slackers!"

"Yes, sir!"

The infantry saluted in unison and headed out. Cloud got some other congratulatory comments from other guys as he moved back to the bunkers. He used the small pocket of time to calm down, shift his thoughts away from the splatter of blood as his aim hit true, put them away in that headspace where he'd return to only in nightmares. He laced his boots, tightening the bands so hard they cut into his feet. The pain helped him center, get back into the present.

As he left the bunker for cleaning detail, Nat and a smaller brawler type man called Lane waved him over to their group. Lane gave Cloud a body bag and instructed, "We've got to get all the bits and pieces we can inside 'em. Identification tags and such go to Sarg."

A rumble preceded two trucks pulling into the street. They rolled until Pace frantically waved his arms for them to brake before they crushed the civilian bodies lying on the ground. Five men got out, Second Class badges on their sleeves. Another practically toppled out, weighed down by all the medals on his oversized chest.

Cloud heard Nat groan, "Heidegger! Figures he'd come to take all the glory."

Lane grumbled, "Like a fuckin' vulture, coming around to pick on the dead."

 _But what does that make us?_ Cloud thought, but stayed silent. He flicked out the bag and stalked away towards the stairs. Lane and Nat followed after him, muttering unkind things about the man in charge. They went about their job, avoiding the camera crews that showed up to record Heidegger's "victory speech," assisting family members identify their kin.

Cloud was giving a wife her husband's wedding ring when the Second Class came over to order him. "Yo, we heard you were the one who killed the most. You want a photo op? Heidegger is ready if you are."

Nat and Lane rolled their eyes, but kept working off to the side. Cloud patted the woman on the shoulder as she walked away from him with whole body wrenching sobs.

He turned around and said with a deadpan tone, "Tell Heidegger he can suck my dick."

~~~

Reviewing over the new recruit files, Sephiroth pointedly ignored the lean man hovering over his right shoulder. He scratched out suggestions for improvement in the margins, holding onto the reigns of his temper as well as could be expected for someone in his position.

But then his unwanted shadow dared to speak. “Sir, with all due respect, it’s nine. You’ve just put in a fifteen hour work day. I recommend-.”

“I am your general. You recommend nothing to me. Get out of my office and don’t return.” Sephiroth flipped the page over to look back at the endurance stats before penning another note.

The soldier behind him snapped, “You know what, fine! I’m done. I’ll let Lazard know.”

“I quiver in fear,” Sephiroth said, deadpanned in both tone and expression.

The Third Class soldier grumbled something under his breath before he turned on his heel to stomp out. Sephiroth kept up his work, breathing a sigh of relief as he finally got to work in peace. Or at least he did until an hour later, when a certain First Class hedgehog in human form waltzed in like he owned the place.

“I just got a PHS message from Forester saying you fired him.” Zack put his hands on his hips and quirked a brow. “New record there, less than forty eight hours before you broke him.”

Sephiroth finished up his scribing and put the folders into the right tray. “If he wanted to stay he shouldn’t have criticized my working habits.”

“Seph,” Zack ran a hand through his hair, “ShinRa just wants to keep you safe. You’re the last General left, and you’re their shining elite soldier. They can’t afford to lose you.”

“The decision made without my consent for essentially supplying me with babysitters rather than actual guards doesn’t put weight on such an argument.”

Sephiroth stood up, pressing a button on his desk to turn off the lights in his office. Zack’s eyes and his glowed iridescent in the darkness, so Sephiroth could clearly see his subordinate roll his eyes dramatically. The silver haired elite brushed by him to move towards the door.

Sephiroth continued, “I am fully capable of taking care of myself, this army, and any other responsibilities without interference. Not only is the implication that I can’t insulting, but it’s absolutely unfounded.”

Zack followed him out the door and into the hallway. While Sephiroth locked his office, Zack replied to his concerns.

“Not everyone is super human like you. They worry, and I worry. It makes everyone feel better that someone can be around to back you up.” Zack groaned as Sephiroth speed walked to the elevator. “Oi! I’m not trying to make you feel bad.”

“Getting stabbed makes be feel ‘bad.’ In comparison, you are at the level of a buzzing fly.” Sephiroth got to lift ahead of Zack, immediately pressing the closed button once inside. “Sorry, this one appears to be full.”

“Oh that’s just imma-!”

The doors slammed shut in the soldier’s irate face.

~~~

The next day, Cloud reported for his disciplinarian meeting with Lazard right on time. He sat in an uncomfortable plastic seat, shifting left and right as he waited for the Director of SOLDIER to call him into his office. He stood up at one point to salute a few passing Seconds before sitting back down. At the fifteen minute mark, Cloud gazed over at the secretary, wondering if she forgot about him.

Sensing his eyes, Lucy looked up from typing away on her keyboard. She shrugged as she said, "Sorry, he's with General Sephiroth. Sometimes their meetings run a bit long."

Cloud froze in his seat. "Sephiroth is in there?"

"Yep!" Lucy went back to typing as she talked, "He's the only General now, which means he's now got more of the workload he used to do, which also means more meetings."

Cloud winced in sympathy. "Can't he give some of it to the Firsts?"

Lucy stopped typing to glare off into space. "There is only one First now, and he is the devil."

Cloud snickered. He'd only met Zack Fair twice so far, once at his orientation and again during a mission that involved the ex-General Genesis, but from what he gathered the guy definitely wasn't suited to paperwork. A man of action, a country bumpkin like Cloud, not really a desk in a cubicle kind of person.

"Speak of the devil," Lucy said as she glared daggers down the hallway.

Cloud turned to see Zack sauntering down the hall with a big pep in his step. The grin on his face looked too big for his face, and yet there it was. His hair bounced against his shoulders, still steadily growing out.

Cloud stood up to salute. "No, no, none of that!" Zack waved his hands in dismissal. "Just chill, dude. I'm only here to help out Lazard talk some sense into the big guy."

He knocked on the door and entered, leaving Cloud to more waiting, and wondering what they could be talking about in there for so long.

~~~

Zack entered the room as Lazard told the General, "I know it's not something you want, but you must see reason."

Sephiroth shook his head, making his hair swing back and forth against the back of his chair. "No one is adequate enough."

Zack sighed, "Hey, you ever think maybe your standards are just too high?"

Sephiroth didn't bother with replying to that, "I would much rather depend on myself rather than rely on Turks."

Lazard put a hand over his face. "Well, as you chased away the only two Turks who could've worked with you, we're back to looking at soldiers. Now, Second Class Philips is-."

"Barely knowledgeable about basic materia."

Zack piped up, "Second Class Kunsel could work!"

"He'd collect all my data and spy on every meeting I attend."

"Right, how's that bad?" Zack asked, head tilted to the side.

Sephiroth let out a long breath through his nose. "Confidential information must be kept that way. I don't want an ambitious Second Class using me for leverage to become First."

Lazard dug through a rather big pile of papers, bringing out three to read. "Third Class Forester reports that although General Sephiroth may be indeed the greatest fighter he'd ever met, the man, quote, 'was a complete dick,' end quote. Cadet Marston reports that although it was an honor to serve the General he'd, quote, 'would rather be run over by stampeding chocobos than ever be assigned to his security detail again,' end quote. Turk in training Gatlin reports she quits any and all things related to ShinRa for fear of ever being even in the same room as Sephiroth ever again."

The look the Director beamed at Sephiroth usually made cadets piss themselves.

Unfortunately, the silver haired warrior was unaffected. "See? Inadequate."

Zack looked up to the sky, as if he could call divine intervention. "If we don't get you a bodyguard soon, they're going to forbid you from leaving the building. If you're trapped here, you'll go insane." Zack plopped himself into a seat. "I know it sucks having someone follow you around, but if you don't we can't do our jobs."

Sephiroth seemed to think over it for a while, gifting the two frustrated men hope. Then, the bastard stood up and declared, "I refuse." He picked up his papers and walked out the door.

Zack fell out of his chair and ran after the General yelling, "Hey! Wait up! Seph!"

Lazard walked out of his office feeling worn out. He glanced at the spiky haired infantryman who appeared baffled, half frozen in a near salute. "Don't worry about them, come on in."

With his head bowed, the young man followed him into the office. He sat down where the General once did, his hands in loose fists on his knees. He glanced up at Lazard with a resigned expression. "Cloud Strife reporting for a discipline hearing."

"Yes, I read the file." Lazard picked up the loose paper in his incoming tray. "It says you smarted off to a superior officer. Do you deny this?"

Cloud shook his head, "No."

"Alright," Lazard tapped a few keys on his board. "You have a pretty spotless record here. No fights, no other mistakes really, so it begs the question..." He put the paper down and locked eyes with Cloud. "Why did you do it?"

Cloud thought about it, mulling over all the ways to say it politely. He ended up blurting out, "I just got tired of dealing with the damn brass, sir. They treat everyone like they're worthless and it just...in that moment, it got to me. But it won't happen again."

"Hmmm," the Director hit a few more keys. "That Second was quite a bit taller than you, and definitely stronger. Weren't you afraid of what might happen?"

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "I'm short, sir, everyone's bigger and stronger than me. That doesn't stop me from doing what I think is right."

Lazard froze. His eyes traveled from the computer screen, and then back to Cloud again. "I suppose you could say you're not easily intimidated?"

"Not really?" Cloud gave the Director a sideways glance. "Why?"

A smirk crawled over Lazard's face. "I have a proposal for you, Strife. Should you survive it, not only will this little blight be erased from your record, but I will give my personal recommendation for you to join the SOLDIER program. But I must warn you, many have failed this endeavor. Are you up for the challenge?"

It took a moment for the shock to wear off, but when it did the infantryman asked, "What is my mission and when can I start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: 
> 
> "You don't look like bodyguard material, Strife, even you have to admit that much."
> 
> Cloud clenched his hands hard behind his back. "Not everything is about appearances, sir, but if you wish I can get a big sword and tote it around. I don't generally feel the need to compensate for my...appearance."


	2. Put in Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next installment. Thank you very much for all your kind comments and kudos. I shall update once more next Friday!

The infantry division fell between the Cadet and Third buildings. The Cadet area housed hundreds of hopefuls ready to try and train for their chance at SOLDIER. Cloud passed by a group of teenage girls and boys in Cadet gear, all of them chatting about the upcoming physical next week. He ignored the slight clench in his chest. He failed out of the physical, too underweight and not enough muscle mass, although the mako took to his system just fine. Still, he missed it, by just that much. But he got a second chance. He straightened his shoulders as he swiped his entry card for the building.

The door slid up to let him in. Nat and Lane were playing cards out in the lobby, some variant of poker or something. Noticing him, Nat put his cards face down as he stood up. Lane put his cards down too, but stayed sitting.

“How’d it go?” Nat’s frown seemed out of place on his normally joker face.

Cloud shrugged, averting his eyes. “It’s...complicated.”

Lane crossed his arms and leaned back. “What kind of complicated we talking about?”

Nat cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, like latrine duty for a year or…?”

“I’m not allowed to talk about it very much, but I’m getting pulled out of the infantry. They’re moving me tomorrow.” Cloud rubbed the back of his neck. “If I work hard, it’ll all turn out alright.”

Lane shook his head before he said, “Sounds like they’re trying to screw you over, Strife.”

“Yeah,” Nat agreed, “I’d say take the latrine duty. Secret missions for grunts spells bad news, like the dead type.”

Cloud snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to die.”

“You don’t know that.”

Lane interjected, “Do you? I mean, what exactly were you told?”

“My mission, more or less, and I’ll be meeting my new superior tonight.” Cloud motioned to the hall. “I’ve got to go get my stuff put out in the hall for pick up. You guys mind keeping an eye on it? I don’t want Barnes taking my mom’s cookies.”

Nat still looked uneasy, but he nodded. “Sure, but I want two cookies as payment.”

“You’re a cheap date, Nat.” Lane said with a shit eating grin.

“Bite me, asshat.”

Cloud quipped, “Stop flirting and help me out. I’ll even give you more cookies to pack stuff up."

Nat grumbled unkind things as he followed Cloud down the hallway. Lane took the opportunity to flip over his adversary’s cards, and promptly slide the ante of shaving cream and razors to his side.

~~~

In the early evening, Zack Fair accompanied General Sephiroth to a board room on level 25. The messages in their PHS inboxes read out like another standard budget meeting, because if Sephiroth knew the truth he’d be gone in a flash. Zack suggested the less than honest tactic to Lazard, and luckily it seemed to be working so far. As they entered the room and sat down, Sephiroth flipped open his budget file to the first page.

He ordered Zack offhandedly, “If Scarlett demands more funds, I’m declaring it open season for your prank wars on her division.”

Zack let out a lovesick sigh. “You really know how to make a man swoon.”

“A competent General knows how to utilize his troops.” Sephiroth said as he leaned forwards in his chair. “And I also find it amusing to imagine the panic such devastation would ensue.”

“I’ll be sure to take pictures, then!” Zack gave him a thumbs up.

Sephiroth nodded. “See that you do.”

Lazard entered the room with a blond infantryman right on his heels. The director sat down in a chair while the trooper remained standing, going into a salute before the upper elite soldiers. "Sir, Cloud Strife reporting for assignment."

Zack gasped and clapped his hands. He pointed at Cloud, his eyes wild with excitement. "Cloud! From Nibelheim right?"

"Yes, sir." Cloud gave him a small smile, keeping his salute in place. "Nice to see you again."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at Lazard, noted the lack of other ShinRa board members walking in late. He settled his piercing green eyes on Cloud. He said, "At ease..." with a tone he usually reserved for ' _Draw your sword_.'

To his surprise, Cloud kept his gaze level, neither ducking down in submission nor challenging for dominance. The Demon of Wutai gave the slim, somewhat still lanky young man a once over. Shorter than the average male, face effeminate without a blemish, no ranking badges anywhere on his gear, not to mention the hairstyle of a chocobo.

_No way in hell._

"Explain." Sephiroth ordered to Lazard.

The director motioned to Cloud. "I present your fifteenth recorded bodyguard. Try not to treat him like gum on the bottom of your shoe."

"After our earlier discussion I thought I made my views on the matter absolutely clear." Sephiroth stood up. He walked with precise footsteps over to Cloud's side. To the trooper's credit, he didn't flinch as the most lethal person on the planet slid up close to him. "And to bring me Strife as opposed to any other more qualified candidate only makes me question your intelligence even further."

Cloud's jaw ticked, probably from grinding his teeth. "Permission to speak, sir."

"By all means," Sephiroth cast a look over at Zack. The First gave him a stern frown he'd no doubt adopted from his once mentor, Angeal. It screamed, _Behave_!

Cloud turned to face Sephiroth with his posture firm. He kept his cerulean eyes on the General's chin. "Perhaps I'm not the most qualified, but I am the only one who seems ready and willing to put up with you. Apparently, that's all that's necessary to put on the application, which is saying something."

The words took a moment to sink in, and then Zack's snickers broke his calm.

Sephiroth pointed to the floor. "Drop and do twenty. Now."

"Yes, sir." Cloud pivoted and fell onto his arms.

Like a board, he went through a rep of push ups while Zack spoke up to defend him. "Oh, come on, Seph! That was funny. And you know that I've said worse things to you." Zack walked over to point at the ground where Cloud kept moving. "Besides, he's kind of right."

"Your insolence has come at the cost of rising through the ranks. He's hardly out of the cadet level." Sephiroth watched until Cloud finished his set. "Rise."

"Yes, sir." Cloud got to his feet, moving into parade rest with a blank face.

Lazard sighed and rubbed his temples. He said in a flat tone, "This is going so well."

"Hey, at least Cloud didn't run away screaming, right?" Zack said with a small nervous laugh.

Cloud's eyes widened as he dared to look up at the General. Sephiroth smirked, "One truly wasn't up to the task."

To his surprise, Cloud went back to his blank face and proclaimed, "I am."

Sephiroth shook his head. "You don't look like bodyguard material, Strife, even you have to admit that much."

Cloud clenched his hands hard behind his back. "Not everything is about appearances, sir, but if you wish I can get a big sword and tote it around. I don't generally feel the need to compensate for my...appearance."

The shocked silence was followed quickly by the biting words, "Drop and do fifty."

"Yes, sir."

"Oi! Seph," Zack tried to protest around his badly contained laughter, "stop bullying the kid!"

"He will learn respect or I will personally see him discharged." Sephiroth promised with righteous zeal.

"Nope, not gonna happen." Lazard piped up, pointing down at Cloud with a wicked smile. "He's my personal little project. His files are now sealed confidential for my eyes only." He crossed his legs. "If you want to discharge him, you'd have to go through me first."

Sephiroth stared at Lazard, considering, weighed his options, finally settled on turning around to leave. Zack leapt over chairs to block his path. His eyes became wide and pleading as he kept his arms outstretched to make the biggest barrier possible. All the while, Cloud continued to do his push ups.

"Seph, we can't keep doing this song and dance." Zack bared his teeth for a moment before he sighed. "I lost Angeal, not because he wasn't strong enough to protect himself, but because he got lost even with me right there." Sephiroth jerked minutely.

For a time, only the sound of Cloud's hard breathing hit the air.

Zack put his arms slowly down to his sides. "If you won't do it for the guys in charge, do it for me." He motioned over to Cloud. "Besides, I know him. Not like really well, but he's stronger than he looks. Just...give him a chance?"

"Done." Cloud announced as he froze in a straight plank.

Sephiroth turned back around, his hands clenched at his sides. He pursed his lips together, making them thin lines. His eyes glowed as he spat out, "Be at my office tomorrow morning at 06:00. If you're even a minute late, our arrangement is over. Rise."

"Understood." Cloud said as he grunted to get up. Zack moved out of the way as Sephiroth walked swiftly out of the room. He missed the forlorn look Cloud gave him as he left, shoulders slumping from their previous rigid lock. When asked if he was tired, Cloud lied in affirmation.

~~~

Nat and Lane stood around Cloud's boxes like sentinels. The promise of more delicious home baked goodies kept them on guard. They knew others in their area were ready to come and steal the beloved sweets, but not on their watch! They'd played poker and a PHS game every so often, but they always kept one eye on the hall.

When Cloud returned, he brought a chipper looking soldier with him. Nat's mouth dropped in recognition. He'd seen the guy in the papers. Zack motherfuckin' Fair! The only remaining First! Nat slammed his body into attention, while Land did a more relaxed version.

"Hey guys!" Zack waved a hand. "Don't be so tense. I'm just helping lug blondie's stuff up to his new room."

"Were you promised cookies, too?" Lane asked, bemused at the idea of a First Class getting bribed with dessert.

"No! What cookies?" Zack gave Cloud an adorable puppy eyed begging expression. "Can I have cookies?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Everyone gets two cookies."

"Awesome," Nat said as he extended his hand, "I'm Nathanial Vector but please call me Nat."

"Hi Nat! I'm Zack, First Class of ShinRa's military, and self-proclaimed best karaoke singer ever."

Lane held out his hand, "Mike McClane, but I'm known as Lane. Self-proclaimed badass and poker champion."

"Lies! He lies. He's not a champion, dammit." Nat grumbled, "He cheats all the time."

"You're just sayin' that because you lose all the time."

Cloud bent down to open a box. "Be sure to send me an invite when you two tie the knot."

Zack chuckled. "Yeah I hear June weddings are the best."

"Not until I see a ring!" Nat proclaimed, rolling with it.

"As if I could ever find one big enough to match your ego." Lane quipped back.

Nat's eyes narrowed. "Alright you jackass-."

"No, no fighting." Cloud extended a hand with a tin box full of homemade treasures. "Take two and make peace."

Nat grabbed his share and Lane did as well. Their faces got somber as Cloud put the tin back into his bag. Nat shuffled a little on his feet and gave Lane a glance.

Zack noticed their downcast eyes. "He'll get time off on Sundays." Zack told them, "You can hang out next weekend."

Cloud shook his head as he turned to face his friends. "They're heading off on a recon mission to Wutai. There have been rumors of insurgency."

Nat moved forward, awkward but trying. He put his arms out and squeezed Cloud in a brief hug. Cloud squeezed his friend's shoulder, smiling a bit. Lane grumbled but also pulled Cloud in for a farewell hug before he blustered away back behind Nat.

Nat coughed, trying to cover the small break in his voice. "We'll send messages and pictures. Check your inbox everyday. Tell us how it goes with your new job, well, what you can tell us anyway."

"Sure, sounds good." Cloud bent down to pick up his box while Zack threw the other one up onto his head.

"Good luck, bud." Nat said, waving goodbye. Lane waved too but said nothing.

Cloud nodded. "Thanks," he turned to walk with Zack towards the main ShinRa tower.

The door closed behind him, a locking him out. He wouldn't be able to access the place he'd called home for three months. He'd have clearance for the tower and the public zones, but no longer could he drop by to see his friends. Oddly enough, it wasn't until the door shut that he even realized they were really friends.

Zack bumped him with an errant elbow. "It'll be alright. You'll see. Just keep going."

Cloud fought the urge to look over his shoulder. "I can't go back to where I used to be, so going forward is really the only option."

Zack murmured, "Hold onto your dreams. No matter what."

Cloud raised his chin up as they reached the entrance.

"I intend to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: 
> 
> "Tseng," Sephiroth said, his body moving between his guard and the Turk.
> 
> The suited man put his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "I'm just giving him some necessary advice on how to handle your quirks." 
> 
> "Don't you have someone to assassinate in an hour?" 
> 
> "Don't tempt me."


	3. Conflicting Interests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for all your kind comments and kudos! Here will be a bit more of a character development chapter. Please enjoy! Update shall be next Friday.

The Great General Sephiroth continued to fume about the meeting all the way up to the apartment level of the ShinRa building. Once he left the elevator, the fury ebbed, the blaze dying into ash. Three ornate doorways were separated by a good two meters, with Sephiroth's being the last one on the right. Tape and huge 'DO NOT ENTER' signs were plastered over the other two.

A memory invaded, ' _One of these days, we should paint these grey walls with some color. I'm thinking red_.'

He didn't want this. He didn't want to remember that Angeal always kept his door cracked so anyone could come inside to talk. And how Genesis blared obnoxious Loveless play music well into the night. None of it mattered. They left him, so they didn't matter.

Sephiroth went to his door, opening it with his thumbprint on a tiny pad where the doorknob should be. His home held sparse furniture. A big sofa, long enough for him to lay down on his days off, served as the focal point for his living room. When they had been around, his place served as the movie night room.

He needed to get rid of it, because every time he looked at it...' _Your taste is atrocious, Sephiroth. Honestly, action movies? Don't you get enough action in real life_?'

The silver haired man shook his head clear. The kitchen was divided from it by a breakfast bar, two stools there to seat guests. Sometimes, if he woke up in that half state between sleep and reality, he'd walk into the area talking to them like they'd be there. He didn't want to remember that Angeal made good omelettes, while Genesis loved to show off his dinner shows.

"Stop it," he told himself. Shedding his iconic coat, he padded over to his room. The master bedroom featured a huge king size bed with a vast headboard. He sat down on the mattress to take his boots off.

Once upon a time, someone wrapped their arms around him from behind while whispering in his ear, _'Long day? Here, let me help you unwind_.'

Now he had only ghosts to keep him company.

He reached down, picking up his PHS. He rubbed a thumb over the cover before he flipped it open. Clicking on the new mail icon, he texted to a number no one used anymore.

 

> _My latest bodyguard is a joke. You'd love him, I think. He's got the most ridiculous hairstyle I've ever seen. He makes Zack's look tame. He's not afraid to speak his mind, either. So mouthy, but I'll break him of it soon._
> 
> _S_

After hitting the send button, he flipped his PHS shut and set it on the nightstand. He shucked off his pants, crawled into the covers, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he'd throw out the sofa.

~~~

In the early morning, Cloud woke up disoriented. He groaned as he recognized the blaring annoying clamour of an alarm clock. He slammed his hand over the plastic disturbance as he forced himself out of bed. In pure military style, he made his bed, getting it neat and tucking in all the edges. On autopilot he quickly went through his routine, ending with standing at the end of his bed. He finally woke up when he remembered he wasn’t in the barracks anymore.

Slapping his cheeks a bit, the blond walked around his new room. By no means a big apartment, the one room with a kitchenette and bath was all his. The privacy alone felt luxurious. Cloud walked over to his half sofa, a passed out Zack snoring on it. The First Class hadn’t felt like going up to his room after he helped Cloud carry his stuff.

Cloud poked him in the arm. “Hey, I’ve gotta go.”

Zack batted his hand away. “Five more minutes, mom.”

“I am not your mother. Get off my couch.” Cloud shook him until Zack finally tumbled out and onto his feet.

“Alright, alright, I’m up! Jeeze, slave driver.” Zack threw an arm around Cloud’s shoulder, steering them both towards the door.

Cloud sighed as they left. “Today is gonna suck.”

Zack patted Cloud’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. He’s dealing with some stuff, and he’s got too much on his shoulders. Just try to think of it this way: he’s a boss, just like any other. Don’t kiss up, don’t try to be his friend, just work with him.”

Cloud walked with him to the elevator. His used new ID tag, there in his room when he got in last night, and pressed the down button. “He’s not what I expected.” Immediately, he knew he sounded too whiny, like some starry eyed disappointed fanboy.

“Aw, buddy,” Zack wrapped his arms around Cloud. “I know. Sometimes our heroes can ...disappoint us.” The melancholia in Zack’s voice made Cloud’s chest tighten. “But that doesn’t mean we give up on them.”

Hesitantly, Cloud returned the embrace, letting himself relax into it before their ride arrived.

~~~

Tseng walked through level 30 with a coffee in one hand and folders tucked under his elbows. His keen senses, the ones honed from years of rigorous training, told him someone else was on the level. He stayed perfectly calm as he palmed a baton hidden inside his sleeve. He did a thorough sweep of the area, going over the whole place twice.

At last, he discovered a young man standing stock still outside General Sephiroth's office. "Good morning, sir."

"And to you as well," Tseng said with a pleasant air. "May I ask why you're here?"

"New assignment. I'm the General’s new guard."

"Oh you poor soul," Tseng said. He tucked his baton back into its concealed slot and handed the trooper his coffee. "You're going to need this. I recommend stocking up on energy drinks as well. He does long nights, and he will keep you up just for spite. Trust me."

Although he gave the cup a dubious stare, the spiky haired man took a swig of the drink. He licked his lips and his eyes doubled in size. "What is in this?"

"More caffeine than I expect you're used to. You can find it in a store down in Wall Market called-."

"Tseng," Sephiroth said, his body moving between his guard and the Turk. The tall man was dressed more informally today. Black pants and boots of the norm, but with a button up white shirt in place of his famous coat. Oddly enough, it didn’t diminish his intimidating aura in the least.

The suited man put his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "I'm just giving him some necessary advice on how to handle your quirks."

"Don't you have someone to assassinate in an hour?"

"Don't tempt me."

The guard sighed. "Please don't threaten him in front of me. I’m sure I'll have to file paperwork."

Sephiroth turned to steal the coffee from his guard's hand. "Get breakfast from the mess hall. They have two orders ready. Bring them here."

"Yes, sir." Cloud saluted before stomping off towards the elevator.

Sephiroth deliberately turned back around to slurp the coffee in his hand. Tseng admitted defeat and retreated back to his office down the way. He wondered if he could work in tandem with the maintenance staff to kill the air conditioning in the general's room.

~~~

The mess hall’s main entrance doors were locked tight. After scanning his card about five times, Cloud gave up. He walked around to the back and knocked on the service door three times hard. A crash came from inside, followed by a loud booming voice yelling in an accent Cloud couldn’t quite place. The door opened to reveal a heavy set man with a lopsided chef’s hat and overalls barely containing his huge mass inside the suspenders.

“You the general’s new whippin’ boy?” The man asked, his smokers voice and combined accent butchered the words.

“Uh, yeah,” Cloud said, “I’m supposed to grab breakfast and coffee.”

“Cool your tits, give me a sec.” The cook let Cloud hold the door as he went back inside to fetch two covered trays and a big thermos with a shoulder strap. “He’ll be bitchin’ about needin’ more coffee in about two hours. Just come down here and I’ll fill ya up."

“Got it.” Cloud slung the strap over one shoulder. He took the trays in each hand. His sore arms screamed in protest, still recovering from the extra push ups from yesterday on top of his everyday training regimen.

“Come back with the plates,” the chef ordered before he slammed the door closed in Cloud’s face.

As he walked away, Cloud thought to himself, _Am I the only one around here who was raised with manners_? He walked to the elevator, his forearms and hands beginning to shake. When he got inside, Cloud crouched down to set the trays on the floor. Not good, he needed to keep working, his arms being a big requirement. When he reached his floor, Cloud grunted in pain but managed to lift the trays. He made it to the door, kicking it lightly with the tip of his boot. What felt like an agonizing eternity later, Sephiroth opened the door, snatching a tray out of Cloud's hand.

The trooper bit his tongue, nearly blurting out, ' _You're welcome, sir_ ,' but he held back. The last thing he wanted was more push ups.

"Eat over at the table." Sephiroth ordered as he took his tray over to his large, obsidian desk.

Cloud walked in holding his tray with both arms. He scanned the room, finding the whole thing a bit sparse in decor. A few chairs and a small rectangular table were off to the left, the furniture black like the desk. Two white walls held a few ink style paintings, one of which was a raven and a Phoenix flying in unison behind the General's back.

But the highlight was the vast, tall window brought in natural light and an amazIng view of Midgar. Cloud kept his eyes glued outside as he sat over on the table. Sometimes he forgot how huge the city really was, and when he remembered, he couldn't help but recall where he used to be in his little mountain town so far away. Comparing them was like comparing a lion to a house cat; both held the same basic shape but were two completely different creatures. He tore his gaze away to uncover his food: a simple egg and bacon breakfast with a hash brown on the side.

"Oh, right," Cloud took the thermos off to set it on the table. "Do you have cups? The cook didn't give me any."

"Hn," Sephiroth responded, hash brown halfway in his mouth. He walked over to a half sized fridge with a cupboard on top. He took out two coffee mugs with the ShinRa logo on them. Cloud met him in the middle and took them out of his hands. The tips of the general's fingers brushed over his, making Cloud tense, but he recovered quickly. Returning to the thermos he poured out two cups in quick succession.

"I will give you this, Strife, you don't waste time." Sephiroth said, taking the cup back from Cloud when it was full.

"Thank you, sir, but honestly? I'm starving." Cloud plopped down into his seat. He grabbed a fork to shovel the food into his mouth at a rapid fire pace. They both ate for a while in silence. Sephiroth took his time with his food. Cloud could sense those piercing eyes on him, but he tried to ignore it. When he emptied the tray, he downed the cooled down coffee in one go.

"As efficient as that was," Sephiroth said, "next time eat like a person."

Cloud nodded. "Right, sir. Anything else? Otherwise I'm back on guard." Cloud stood up, going into attention.

Sephiroth let out a huff between his teeth. "Do as you like. I'll be getting real work done in here."

"Yes, sir," Cloud said, leaving his tray at the table. He wasn't ordered to clean it up, so forget it. He'd just worry about it when the coffee ran out.

Just as predicted, the coffee only made it to eight o'clock. Sephiroth poked his head out to snap, "Get the thermos and the trays."

Biting his tongue so hard it hurt, Cloud did as ordered. Just to be difficult, he made the short trip down to the mess last ten more minutes than necessary.

When he knocked in the service door, the cook opened it with less gruff grumbling than earlier. The guy even went so far as to say, "They call me Bear, in case you were wonderin', and that's on account of my winnin' personality."

Cloud gave him a slight smirk. "It fits." He handed over the trays first and then the thermos.

"Damn straight, kid." The cook took the stuff to retreat back into his kitchen. In a few minutes he returned with a full thermos and a bag of some kind of muffin. "Don't share these with the elite pain in my ass. Eat these on your own time."

"Yes, sir. Thank you," Cloud said as he took the bag while sliding the thermos over his shoulder.

"Don't call me 'sir.' I ain't a warrior. I'm just an everyday workin' man." Bear closed the door as he finished his sentence.

Now deciding he liked Bear the muffin man better than Bear the early riser, Cloud made a mental note to give the man some of his mom's cookies when he got a chance. This time when he returned to the administration floor, more people had arrived for work. When they noticed he went over to the general's office, many people whispered with cringing faces. _Well that's promising_ , Cloud thought to himself. Every minute at this job just made him want to run so, so far away, but the siren call of a recommendation into soldier kept him going. He didn't even get a chance to knock before Sephiroth opened the door.

Behind him, Lazard stood with a hand on his hip, lips down in a frown. Cloud got the feeling they’d been talking about him before he arrived, because Sephiroth looked like he really, really wanted to kick his guard right back out the door. Holding out the coffee thermos, Sephiroth snatched it from his hands before pivoting on his foot to go back into the office. Lazard opened his mouth, probably to give Sephiroth a lecture, but clacked it shut as he motioned Cloud inside.

The trooper closed the door shut behind him as he asked, “Are you here for me, sir?”

“Yes,” Lazard waved a hand over to the table. “I’ve just made up your contract and other files. I wish to discuss them with you.”

Sephiroth pointedly ignored the both of them as he refilled his mug and sat back down at his desk. With a small sigh, Cloud reluctantly shuffled his way over to the table. He hated legal jargon, but then again who didn’t? Sitting there and going over every little detail on some dense and high level document...he’d rather have sandpaper rubbed over his eyes.

Lazard got situated in his chair and pulled up two forms. He handed one over to Cloud as he kept the other. “Please take a moment to read the first page and then we’ll continue.” Cloud reviewed the standard information. His name, rank, age, home address, blah blah, etc. He nodded and said, “It all looks correct.”

“Alright, onto page 2 and 3.” Lazard cleared his throat and began to read aloud. It was fairly standard, the mission to guard Sephiroth began at this date and Cloud agreed to the mission verbally. Now they would process his confirmed orders with the higher ups after he signed the required papers. Cloud only half listened, his eyes roaming over the pages. He noted the end date was left blank, and that bothered him. He didn’t want to stand guard over the general indefinitely. Still, he didn’t want to risk his chance at SOLDIER, so he kept quiet. As Lazard was finishing his spiel, he set the papers down with a smile and grabbed a pen from out of his front pocket.

“You’re good to go, then. Just sign and we can-.”

“No.”

Cloud and Lazard jumped as Sephiroth stood up from his desk. The man set aside his pen and folders as he said, “I’m not allowing this.”

Lazard stood up as well, “If you want to contest his employment, once again, you’ll have to-.”

“That is not what I meant.” Sephiroth walked over with big strides. He held out his hand to Cloud. “Let me see your mission parameters.”

Cloud hesitated before he gingerly gave them over. He fully expected Sephiroth to rip them to pieces, but instead the silver haired man read through the contract lightning fast.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, situating himself between Cloud and the Director, who sat down with a perplexed expression. “You promised him a recommendation upon completion, but there is no completion date. Also, I’ve noticed you’ve cut him out from infantry entirely.” Sephiroth glanced over at Cloud. “They moved you out of the barracks?”

“Yes,” Cloud shifted his eyes between Lazard and Sephiroth. “Is that not ok?”

Sephiroth shook his head. “Put in a guarantee that should he not complete this mission he can return to active duty in infantry, and set his end date at six months from now.”

Lazard gripped his pen hard. “I was trying to keep the incentive to stay limited-.”

“What you are attempting to do is give him no other option but to succeed in putting up with my company, and should he fail he would end up returning home. Clever, ruthless even for you, but not something I will allow.” Sephiroth crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. “Your choice Lazard. A guard for six months that will appease the President and his motley crew, or Cloud returns to the infantry to retry for SOLDIER the old fashioned way.”

Cloud shifted as Lazard locked eyes with his opponent, but Sephiroth’s stoic facade didn’t budge. The trooper sat, waiting for someone to bend, all the while feeling torn between terror, anger, and frustrated hope. His dream hinged on the papers in Sephiroth’s hands, and the General of ShinRa didn’t appear to be letting them go until he got what he wanted.

After a long silence, Lazard finally said, “Fine, I will re-write it and bring the new documents tomorrow then.”

Sephiroth handed the sheets back, and Cloud felt his heart leap into his throat. He wanted to protest, to say something, but Sephiroth cut the air with two fingers in a downward motion. Cloud clammed up on instinct, trained to be silent by the gesture.

“See you tomorrow, then.” Lazard nodded to each of them in turn before taking his leave.

Cloud waited until they were alone to ask, “What now?”

“Now, I’m going to draw up my own contract.” Sephiroth stood up, pulling out his PHS. “Go stand outside. I need to make some phone calls.”

“Yes, sir.” Drained, uncertain, Cloud stood up heading for the door.

“Strife,” Sephiroth got him to turn around, “Whatever happens, I’m not going to let ShinRa screw over someone in my ranks.”

Stunned, Cloud found himself speechless. He tried to say something back, but his tongue twisted up, refusing to form words. He chose to just bow out and get out before he did something ridiculous, like vow to protect the man no matter what even if it cost him his life.

As he returned to his place out in the hallway, Cloud fought back a smile, and lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time:
> 
> "With due respect, sir," Cloud said, already knowing what Sephiroth was mad about, "your orders were if someone tried to pick a fight with you to not do anything. You said nothing about defending myself."


	4. Lessons Learned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you all for the support! In this chapter we get a little more exciting build ups and character looks. I hope you enjoy!

Reno came into his boss' office to discover Tseng handing a fifty into a crew worker's palm. The poor guy looked scared but determined as he left the office. Tseng wished him luck before he turned his attention to his youngest member.

"Where's Rude?" Tseng asked.

"He's still in the med bay. He's big bald head took a good whackin' by that monster down in the slums. Why, is it a partner needed kind of mission?" Reno's eyes roamed over the Wutaian styled office, the bonsai tree on the desk and the serenity sand garden in the corner. A meditation mat laid behind the mahogany desk.

Nothing good to steal again, dammit.

"No, one person is fine." Tseng replied, a playful quirk of his lips implying it was more than fine. "I need you to get close to Sephiroth's new bodyguard. I want him away from the room two days from now at two o'clock sharp. You may get lucky and they're both not there, but just in case gain his confidence. Make sure he won't be wise to our little project."

Reno shivered, feeling a chill come from his boss' aura. "What the hell did he do to piss you off?"

Tseng stared off into space, a mask of cold calculation stealing over his features. "He took my coffee and drank it."

In all his time spent at ShinRa, Reno never heard of someone ballsy enough to mess with Tseng and his coffee. Everyone knew the Turk high commander shelled out quite a bit of gil to get the exact kind he loved from home. No way Sephiroth didn't know about it. The madman wanted a war!

"Got it, boss. You want that I permanently make the bodyguard go away?"

Tseng shook his head. "No, it's not worth the paperwork. Besides, Lazard would kill me. It's taken him eons to find this poor candidate. Let's just let him have this one."

"K, but speaking of, it's kinda weird, don' cha think? Lazard's been putting a guard on Sephiroth, the top guy, and then he's changing stuff around the reactors. Kinda fishy." Reno roamed around the room. He knew better by now not to touch a single grain of sand in the garden, but it was always tempting.

"Leave it. We've got more important problems." Tseng picked up a folder. "I'm sending some of our out to the Junon base. There have been some mysterious reports going on there."

"Grand." Reno's hands twitched, itching to put a smiley face in the sand.

"Yes, well that's all, so if you don't mind," Tseng gestured to the door. Reno glanced from the door, back to the garden, and then pouted as he walked out.

~~~

Zack was waiting for Cloud when he returned from work. Two DVDs sat atop two large pizzas. Cloud let out a groan as he raced over to help.

"You're the best, Zack." Cloud opened his door with his thumbprint and let him in.

"Well, I already knew that, but it's nice when other people realize it, too." Zack kicked the door shut with his boot. "So how did Seph duty go?"

"Not easy, but strangely, yeah not as bad as I thought. Really boring most of the time, just standing outside." Cloud set a pizza box on his kitchenette area. "I've got some paper plates in my boxes I think."

"I got it. Seph texted me that Lazard showed up and tried to screw you over." Zack rummaged through a box until he found the plates. "I bet he's desperate. He made the suggestion of a guard, and the higher ups liked it so much they've been badgering him about it forever. Poor guy is trying his best."

"Yeah, but still I'm glad the General stepped in, even if he did give me hell in the morning." Cloud sighed as he took two slices. "And I met this guy named Bear." He walked over to his couch and flopped into it.

"Oh my god, Bear! I love that dude. He's gruff as hell, but he made me a birthday cake, man, that is the shit!" Zack looked up into the air with stars in his eyes. "Cake..."

Cloud rolled his eyes as he took a bite. He munched mulling over what he'd need to do tomorrow, which included getting some talk in with Sephiroth about the dreaded training schedule. Without Pace coming in to whip him into shape or send the team out on a mission, Cloud needed to get practicing.

As he sat down beside Cloud, Zack said as if reading Cloud's mind, "Hey, have you ever checked out the VR room? We should go spar in there sometime. It's so cool! You can customize environments, make your bad guys easier or harder to beat, it's great. "

"Sure, I could definitely do with a spar. It's been awhile." Cloud smirked at Zack. "But promise not to cry if I beat you, ok?"

"Oi! I'm a First Class badass. You'll be the one who's crying, chump!" Zack lightly punched Cloud in the shoulder.

Cloud let out a squawk, barely catching his pizza before it fell to the floor. "Jerk."

"Am not." Zack gazed at the wall as he munched on his pizza. "We need to get you a TV."

"Nope, no money." Cloud lightly kicked Zack's legs. "Do you think Sephiroth watches TV?"

Zack elbowed Cloud in the ribs. "He's go this monster plasma screen, so I bet yes. Sephiroth is more of a book reader, though. He loves old historical fiction, it's so boring. I tried to read one and there was like five pages about one dude's tent and stuff inside of it."

"Really? Hmmm," Cloud smacked Zack upside the head, "so interesting."

Zack gave his friend a sideways glance as he slowly at his food. "I'm betting Sephiroth is gonna be cranky every morning for the next week. We've got too much to handle and not enough people to cover all the bases. We might actually need to start promoting people."

"Can I be in charge of the swords division?" Cloud asked.

"No, not a division, and if it was, I'd be in charge." Zack flicked Cloud's nose faster than Cloud could blink.

Cloud scrunched up his nose before continuing his meal. "I feel like a really powerless guard. No gun, sword, or even materia. You'd think they'd have given me something, but no."

"Oh, well here." Zack sat his plate on the floor and then reached into his pockets to pull out a bangle. "I think this holds three. Let's see," he searched through his other pocket, "yeah, I've got a Sleep, Confu, and I think this one is Lightning. So two defensive and one offensive."

"But...troopers aren't supposed to get mastered materia." Cloud said, awed by the sight of the orbs.

"Well, you're not a trooper anymore." Zack held out the bangle and the materia. "You won't always have boring days. Sooner or later, there's gonna be trouble. You should be ready."

Cloud smiled as he reached out. But Zack pulled his offering back at the last second. With a glare Cloud tried to reach for them again, only for Zack to snatch them away. Aggravated, Cloud put his pizza on the coffee table. He tried once more, but Zack dangled them over his head and stuck his tongue out. Left with no other recourse, Cloud tackled his mentor to the ground.

They wrestled for ten minutes, putting each other in headlocks, kicking, rolling around, until finally Cloud tickled Zack in his sides.

"Hey! Th-That's cheating!" Zack laughed so hard he cried. Unable to defend himself, Cloud emerged victorious with the bangle in his hand. "Oh, you're gonna get it, Spiky. Tomorrow, VR room, 20:00. I'm going to whip you into shape. Literally!" Zack attempted a scary face, but it came out looking like a cartoon villain's version of intimidation.

"You really need to work on your bad guy image." Cloud informed him.

Zack sighed. "Damn cute eyes. Well, at least they get me cake."

~~~

Nat and Lane both agreed helicopter rides sucked. They especially sucked if your pilot couldn't be bothered to land without half crashing the damn thing. No one died by some miracle, but the trek through the Wutaian forests wasn't exactly in the plan. Nat grumbled most of the way through, hacking at foliage with curses under his breath. Lane just followed behind with his automatic at the ready. The rest of their team trailed behind them, scanning the trees for hostiles.

About three hours in, they stopped for a water break. Pace used the radio and got a response to head towards the base set up in a valley one click east. Nat handed the machete over to another grunt who wisely didn't complain. Lane took a pic of himself and shot off a message to Cloud with a "Wish you were here, darling" message. Nat grabbed him to take a picture of his bloodied up hands. He sent his picture with "Everything Wants to Kill Us" as a subject line.

"You think Cloud's new assignment is any better?" Nat asked as he put his PHS away.

Lane shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe not. I'm betting it's just a different kind of hell from ours."

"Yeah, us grunts don't get the fun jobs." Nat took out his med kit and handed it to Lane.

Lane brought out bandages and started wrapping the torn up hands. He leaned in close to whisper, "I heard the insurgents aren't Wutai people."

Startled, Nat cast a quick look around before he asked, "Where'd you hear that?"

"A friend of a friend who works here. The man in charge of base, Second Class Kunsel, they found his files and read things they weren't supposed to." Lane tied up the bandages efficiently, but lingered on messing with them to keep talking. "Just stay on guard, ok?"

"Yeah, got it." Nat flexed his hands to test the bindings. "Are we heading towards trouble?"

"Probably, but aren't we always?" Lane stepped back, putting his weapon at the ready.

"Alright, ladies, we ain't on vacation! Let's move out." Pace pointed the machete guy to take point.

They trekked onwards, oblivious to the eyes following their every move.

~~~

The next morning Cloud waited for Sephiroth with coffee and breakfast already in his hands. Luckily, his arms hurt less, but if Zack's vow of revenge later on that night in the VR room meant anything, they'd be in pain again in no time. He put on a small, utterly fake smile. "Good morning, sir."

Sephiroth grumbled out a greeting under his breath before he opened his office door. They ate breakfast in quick order, Cloud standing up to leave but Sephiroth motioned him to sit back down. Irritated at the wordless command, Cloud flopped into it. The General picked up a pile of papers and walked over to the table.

"I have a new contract for you to read over."

Cloud's jaw dropped. "I think you're confusing a contract with a novel, sir."

Sephiroth stared at Cloud, as if debating. "Ten."

"What? Oh," Cloud got up out of his seat and went to the floor for push ups.

"That one was actually somewhat amusing. Keep it up and perhaps you can be a comedian after your stint with me." Sephiroth sat down, taking out a pen as Cloud finished his set. "Alright up, let's get this done."

Cloud grumbled as he got back in his chair. He took the first three pages, noting how it added Sephiroth's basic information along with Lazard's and the company ShinRa's basic employment policies. "Sir, technically I'm not an employee, I'm a trooper. Isn't that different?"

"Not if Lazard has effectively pulled you from the ranks to be here." Sephiroth handed him another three pages. "This part is a basic payment structure for the next six months, and a completion bonus upon success."

Cloud's jaw dropped again. "Sir, this is more than I make in a year."

"Hmmm," Sephiroth's lips went up as he sipped on his coffee.

"Are you trying to blackmail Lazard into letting me go?" Cloud asked, incredulous.

"Oh, I doubt Lazard will contest the gil. He's desperate after all, but it will make him look bad when he has to put in the request." Sephiroth handed over another three pages. "These are the in the event you suffer from injury or harm and must be put on permanent disability."

Cloud read through it all and then shook his head. "Do you put this much effort in war strategy?"

Sephiroth snorted. "Please, this isn't even one fourth of my strategical prowess."

Cloud just stared at him for a beat. "Sir, with all due respect, that's frightening."

"Good. Next." Sephirth handed him more pages. "Hurry, we need to go through this before he gets here at eight."

For the next hour, Cloud read through the new agreement. When he finished, Cloud signed his name at the bottom. Everything about his recommendation for SOLDIER was in there, along with so many other benefits it sent him reeling. He just had to survive, and he'd be all set for a brand new life.

Cloud bit his lip before he locked eyes with Sephiroth's striking green. He tried not to think about the general in that way anymore, not since he grew up and came to Midgar. But old habits died hard, and a first crush never really faded away with time. Cloud ignored the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach to focus on what he needed to say.

"Thank you, sir, for all of this." Cloud waved a hand at the contract. "Lazard's going to hate it."

Sephiroth's grin was utterly shameless. "I know."

And he did. Lazard argued vehemently with Sephiroth over all the details. The Demon of Wutai merely kept a calm, cool indifferent facade as he argued back. Cloud sat off to the side, wanting to roll his eyes at the general. The man was having a ball, just sitting there knowing the Director of SOLDIER had to give into his demands to lose his precious bodyguard.

"Fine!" Lazard finally signed his name on the line a little after eleven. "But his bonus comes out of yours."

"My bank account weeps." Sephiroth said in a voice not unlike a robot.

Cloud hid his smile behind his hands as Lazard stormed out. Sephiroth stood up and walked over to his desk, falling into his throne like chair with elegance and no small amount of authority.

"And now time for lunch. Make yourself useful."

"Yes, sir."

Cloud ran down to the mess as his PHS buzzed in his pocket. He made a mental note to check it later. Bear gave him the lunch trays and more coffee along with a bag of toffee candies. He ordered to Cloud as he shut the door. "Don't share 'em with that asshole."

Cloud rolled his eyes as he walked away. He made it to the office door only to have Sephiroth come out. "Put everything in the room and come with me. I've just received an alarm from the Second's barracks."

Cloud jumped into the room, put the coffee and trays on the table, and hustled back. Sephiroth locked the door right after he got out. They jogged to the elevator together, ignoring the murmurs incited in their wake.

In the elevator, Cloud asked, "Is it serious or just a brawl?"

"Unknown. Their commander just called saying he needed my assistance. His voice was strained, possibly enraged." Sephiroth gave Cloud a stern look. "If one of the soldiers does initiate a fight with me, don't get involved."

Cloud shrugged. "I'm sure you can handle it, sir."

Sephiroth glared down at him, suspicious. The trooper gave away nothing, merely kept looking at the elevator doors until they reached the tenth level. It opened up to indoor training grounds with three full sized gyms and a swimming pool. A commotion came from the left, so Sephiroth and Cloud ran over there.

They discovered three men punching the shit out of each other. Off to the side were a collection of rowdy comrades cheering on their favored person while their commander fought trying to break them up. Cloud stayed put near the entrance while Sephiroth moved forward. He looked every bit the dangerous killer as he swooped into the fray.

In less than five minutes, he flipped over one Second onto his back and kicked the idiot off to the side. He punched another in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. With the last move, he side kicked a charging Second in the ribs. Just as everything appeared calm, a buddy of the guys saw Cloud.

He stalked over with bared teeth, so Cloud took the opportunity to cast a Sleep spell at him. The man dropped to the floor on his face. A different soldier tried to go at Cloud, but by that point he was so done with all of them. He sighed and cast Confu to make everyone in his radius go loopy. While they were all reeling from his attack, Cloud sauntered over to the dissatisfied ShinRa General.

"With due respect, sir," Cloud said, already knowing what Sephiroth was mad about, "your orders were if someone tried to pick a fight with you to not do anything. You said nothing about defending myself."

The commander of the Second division went ahead and casted anothr Confu to keep his soldiers out for the count. "Good show! I should've thought of it before you." He walked up to the general with a resigned sigh. "Sir, this division..." He cast his eyes down. "It might need to get scrapped."

Sephiroth gave the man his entire focus. "As I recall, you've complained about these men before, but nothing that would require such measures."

The commander wiped his brow. "That's because Heidegger kept my mouth shut. He's taken these guys and turned them into his personal goons. They're not really soldiers anymore."

Cloud scanned around, realizing he might see an old "friend" among the crowd. Sure enough, he discovered the Second that offered the photo op way in the back. His head flopped from side to side as he tried to regain his equilibrium. Cloud charged up the materia in his bangle and smirked.

"No," Sephiroth said with a warning tone, "or you'll be stuck cleaning the mess hall after hours."

Cloud dispersed the spell with a huff. "He deserved it, though, sir."

"Not your call, trooper." Sephiroth gazed around at the Seconds with a calculating eye. "We can't afford to scrap this many." He nodded his head, coming to a conclusion. "Divide, shuffle, and put the worst of them for one on one training with Zack. He would just love to show them the ropes, I'm sure."

Cloud shot the silver haired man a questioning look, but Sephiroth didn't respond. Instead, the commander saluted as he was dismissed, and immediately began dividing the confused soldiers into groups. Sephiroth assisted while Cloud observed, wincing in Sephiorth punched one of the troublemakers in the gut again. _Who the hell do these morons think they're dealing with? It's Sephiroth! The Demon of Wutai, the Elite Soldier, pick your title!_ Cloud shook his head at the insanity of it.

Sephiroth pulled out his PHS, sending a quick message. In no time at all, four massive Second Commanders with Zack Fair at the front appeared. Zack stalked forward, no mischief in his eyes, all hardened battle ready SOLDIER. His eyes glowed as Sephiroth motioned to the group of fighters.

"So you want to fight with your commander and your General?!" Zack gripped one of them by the collar and threw him across the room. "Not only should you be charged with treason, by all rights you should be expelled from SOLDIER! As it is, you are Thirds again, and you'll be having fun with me to regain your honor."

Sephiroth waved an arm and the other Firsts took the other groups out. The Seconds, now Thirds, cowed before the fury of their superior officers tearing them down. Cloud watched it all in shocked silence. The original commander saluted to Sephiroth before he left the room, tears falling down his eyes. Sephiroth remained stoic throughout all of the commotion as well as the commander leaving. He continued appearing indifferent as Zack wrecked the fighters' bodies, putting them through drill after drill, sparring off with him, dishing out hits when anything was done wrong. These weren't the taps he threw at his buddy last night, but full on blows that broke bones.

Cloud shivered as Zack's eyes didn't dull through the next hour, remaining that same mako glow.

"If you should ever become a Second of mine, Cloud Strife, remember this day." Sephiroth finally said, cutting through the silence. "I need SOLDIERS, men with strength and yes, honor." Sephiroth motioned for Cloud to follow him, ignoring the cries for mercy from Zack's part of the room.

Cloud walked behind him, his gut churning. "I'll never forget it, sir." Sephiroth must've heard the badly concealed shaken note in his guard's tone.

As they went back into the elevator, Sephiroth explained softly, "I need my men loyal. If that requires a hard hand then so be it."

"I'm not disagreeing, sir, I just..." Cloud sucked in a shaky breath. "I just didn't understand what it meant, to be a SOLDIER, until I saw Zack."

"Ah," Sephiroth nodded. "Don't let it taint your picture of him. Zack is and always will be that annoyingly energetic nit wit we know, but his role as my Lieutenant also brings with it the responsibility of correcting the ones who've lost their way."

Cloud looked down at the ground. "That sounds like a hard job, for him."

"It can be, but it's necessary." Sephiroth opened his mouth to say something, but closed it.

"Sir, if I ever become First, can I have that job? So Zack doesn't need to do it anymore?"

Sephiroth cast a glance at Cloud out of the corner of his eye. "Admirable as that is, no, I can't let you do that."

Cloud's cerulean eyes met his. "Why not?"

Sephiroth smirked. "If I allowed a man half their size beat them down, my men would never recover from the embarrassment. It might just kill their morale completely."

As the elevator dinged, Cloud followed his General out as he muttered, "A man half your size is your bodyguard, so..."

They got into the office as Sephiroth commanded, "Twenty."

Yep, tomorrow Cloud would be in pain again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time:
> 
> "You like him, admit it." Zack teased. 
> 
> Sephiroth stared out his window, thinking about it. "I admire his determination, his compassion, and..."
> 
> "His nice butt?"


	5. Conspiracy Theories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for the late update! I was gone with friends all weekend and couldn't upload until today. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for your lovely comments and kudos. If you want to talk about the story, I will do replies at least once a week. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Reno waited down the hall from General Sephiroth's office, trying to gauge the best way to approach his target. The other office folks were doing various errands, like copying or running documents to different levels, but not Cloud. The poor blond chocobo head exuded boredom. He shifted from foot to foot, gazing out into the level 30 office area with unfocused eyes.

The Turk knew that mealtime was a window of opportunity, as the trooper needed to get food for the pretentious asshat in the office just behind him. Checking his PHS clock again, the red head knew that at six on the dot Sephiroth would order for dinner. One minute left to go.

Just like the cyborg in human form was programmed to do, he stuck his silver head for Cloud to get their food. The short trooper casually walked into the office to grab things before he walked back out. Sephiroth said something, then Cloud nodded and said something in response as he walked away. Whatever he said left the General glaring at his back. Reno waited until the biggest bastard in ShinRa ducked back into his office to make his move.

Taking out his PHS, he walked towards the elevator, clicking buttons like he was typing out a message. Just for shits and giggles, he actually did type out one to Rude, calling him a nancy for getting knocked out. Also, he needed to hurry up and get better so they could go hit on the new secretary, Lucy.

He got in just as the doors were closing. He hit send and put his PHS away. Cloud held two trays in each palm and a thermos around his shoulders.

"Don't suppose you need a hand?" Reno asked, putting on his best grin and easy, open posture.

"I've got it, thanks." Cloud said, returning the smile with a more shy version of his own.

"Well, I've got nothin' to do for awhile. You sure?"

"Yes, it's my job, so I'll do it." Cloud gave him a once over. "So, Turk?"

"Yep! Name's Reno, and I'm the best there is." He pointed to himself with his thumb, puffing his chest out a bit.

Cloud blinked at him. "I thought Tseng was the best."

Reno grumbled, "Not if you count actual fieldwork in the past year." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, deflating his body, making it appear defeated.

"Hey, I'm sure you're great," Cloud said, apologetic in tone. "I'm Cloud Strife, and I'm a bodyguard, sort of."

"Oh yeah," Reno said, snapping his fingers as if he just realized, "I heard our Director finally got one. Guess that shit job is yours now." He patted Cloud on his shoulder. "Good luck with that, bro."

Cloud sighed. "Yeah, thanks." His face twisted up in misery. "He's not the easiest man to work for."

As the elevator dinged for them to get off, Reno slid to the right as if going the opposite way. "Tell you what, I'll trade Sephiroth one day for Tseng and we'll compare?"

Cloud nodded. "Sounds good. Just let me know when it's approved." With that as a farewell, the guard headed towards the mess hall.

Reno took out his PHS and typed up a message to Tseng.

> Got him hooked! I'll reel him in tomorrow. You be ready.

~~~

Tseng received the message as he walked among the rubble that was once Junon. He flipped open his PHS, saw the message, and tucked it away. All around him dead SOLDIERs and Turks were piled together. They fought bravely, but they had obviously been overwhelmed. Soot covered the wall and doors, telling of fire spells casted left and right.

As he bent down to search for more clues, Tseng put a cap on his guilt. No one could've foreseen the Ravens attacking the base, nor Hollander's escape. It happened so fast, without even a warning shout, not even a whisper on the winds from informants. Now, somewhere out there, Hollander was free, plotting another mad scientist endeavor no doubt. The Turks needed to clean up this mess, as well as put an end to this madman's schemes.

Behind him, Cissinei waited for orders, ash on her uniform and face. "We'll take it off the map. Then, secure assets in Wutai. He's heading in that direction."

She asked him softly, "Tseng, what if he does connect with Wutai?"

Tseng sighed as he stood up. "Then we go to war again."

A helicopter landed over in some free space beside the wrecked base. All their projects lost, ShinRa would have to rebuild all of them from scratch. The President would most likely reject the whole idea rather than spend the funds. Despite the whole disaster, Tseng was glad to return back.

After all, he had a score to settle.

~~~

Zack Fair reported for a debriefing with Sephiroth at 19:00. He entered into the office just as Cloud was leaving to return the dinner plates.

"Hey," he gave Cloud a tight grin, "workin' hard?"

Cloud gave him a nervous laugh. "Yeah, if you count standing around hard."

"Dude, I do. It sounds like torture." Zack leaned into the office. "Hey, Seph, can Cloud clock out? I want to train him in the VR room in an hour. Can he go prep it for us?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Permission granted."

"Sweet," Zack turned back to Cloud, "drop all that off and then head to level 40."

He handed over an ID tag. "Use that to get inside and then let me in."

"This name isn't yours," Cloud said as Zack tucked it into the trooper's front pocket.

"Nope, now be gone!" Zack shoved Cloud out and shut the door.

Sephiroth set his paperwork aside. He asked as he rubbed his temples, "How did it go?"

"A lot of threats about getting me fired for abuse of power. They all shut up when Lazard came in and started processing their demotions on the spot. Heidegger, of course, didn't go down to support them, the coward."

Zack walked over to stare out the window at Midgar, putting his hands behind his head. "I worked them until they couldn't even walk anymore. When medical came in to heal them, I asked what the hell got into their heads. One of the guys finally admitted that he'd been frustrated that no matter how hard he tried, he kept getting rejected from First Class."

Sephiroth said nothing for a beat. After a moment passed he said, "I understand their frustration, but after Angeal and Genesis, I don't want to put more of my SOLDIERs into a position where they too could be forced into experimentational procedures. I've been locked in debate with the President over securing a guarantee...but so far, I haven't attained success."

Silence fell over the room again. Zack brought his hands to his face, wiping away imaginary grime. Sephiroth tucked a bit of hair behind his ear and cleared his throat.

He said, "Besides, frustration is no excuse for attacking a General."

Zack shook his head as he plopped down into an office chair. "I can't believe they picked a fight with you."

Sephiroth nodded, folding his hands on his desk. "Neither can I."

Zack leaned forward as he put a hand through his hair. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Seph. You did what you needed to do."

"But I didn't see it coming." Sephiroth said, soft and yet harsh. _And it makes me wonder who else shares these same thoughts, that perhaps my own men don't respect me as they once did._

"You're not a psychic, you're a General. And an overworked one." Zack spread his hands out. "So we've got to change things, Seph. I know you care about your troops, and they care about you, even Cloud does."

"I find that hard to believe." Sephiroth said, sitting back in his chair.

"He does. He's worried, but he's not like the others. He respects you as a person, enough that he doesn't gossip. I tried to get him to talk about you. Everyone else couldn't wait to give me every little detail about their day. Guess what Cloud said." Zack leaned back, a cheeky smirk on his face.

The General shrugged. "I'm the devil?"

"Nope, he said it was, 'Not easy, but not as bad as I thought.' That's pretty much it." Zack watched a Sephiroth suddenly found his table fascinating. He put his hands flat on the wood and smoothed out imaginary wrinkles on his papers. Zack loved to watch as the hardened military soldier softened under the weight of human emotions, trying to process how they fit into his perception of how the world supposedly viewed him.

"You like him. Admit it." Zack teased.

Sephiroth stared out his window, thinking about it. "I admire his determination, his compassion, and..."

"His nice butt?" Zack couldn't help himself. "I mean, come on, it is pretty squeezable." He squeezed the air in front of face with his hands.

"Don't be so crude." Sephiroth covered his face with his hand. "His features aside, yes, I do believe he's someone of worth."

"...So that's not a no."

Sephiroth groaned. "Don't you have some flower girl or another?"

"Yeah, and she's got a nice butt, too. I may be taken but I'm not blind, ya know." Zack crossed his legs and arms, becoming the picture of smug. "Anyone with eyes can see he's just begging for a good, hard-."

"Don't." Sephiroth put a hand up to stop the rest. "He's someone under my command, and not even legal."

"Oh, psh! Like there's anyone who isn't below you. You're in a league of your own, Seph, don't get bogged down with all that ethical junk. And he's sixteen. He could marry you with permission from his mother. That's like semi-legal, if you squint sideways and tilt your head." Zack did exactly that, and stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth.

With a face like stone, Sephiroth told him, "I'm scheduling a psych eval for you by Friday."

Zack sat up and gave his friend a sneer. "Fine, be that way." He stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going to train him. Maybe I'll even give him some pointers about how to make your life more miserable every day."

Sephiroth picked up a pen and clicked it. "The pen is mightier than the sword, as you will see when I write your next dismal paycheck."

"Come on! Don't get all aggressive on my money." Zack gave the consternated General a shit eating grin as he left. "After all, I've got to put a down payment on your wedding band!"

~~~

Prepping the VR room required being familiar with the ShinRa computers, which meant Cloud spent ten minutes cursing as he attempted to get the damn thing working. In Nibelheim, most people didn't own a computer, so most kids didn't use one unless they were at school. The children of Nibelheim didn't particularly enjoy school, and thus, most children in Nibelheim were tech illiterate.

Cloud meant to increase his computer skills, but as a cadet the pay was near nonexistent and computer work was regarded as a secondary priority to survival tactics. So he clicked and tapped away at keyboard, trying to figure out how to get the proper one-on-one fighting mode initiated. The program refused to adhere to logic, putting most of its entry level pages as SOLDIER levels, and then from there going into a thousand offshoot environments.

"I just want sword training, you piece of shit," Cloud muttered as he kept trying in vain to find it.

A door behind him swished open. Cloud glanced over his shoulder to see a tall, well built Second with a goatee and trimmed black hair. His skin was dark from a combination of genetics and many hours out in the sunlight. The man lifted a broadsword over his shoulder as he quirked a brow.

"I don't believe we've met," he said, his low voice implying, _I don't think you're supposed to be here_.

Standing up straight to salute, Cloud explained, "Sir, Cloud Strife reporting for training with First Class Zack Fair."

"Hmm, so you're Cloud. At ease, then." He held out a hand. "The name's Xin Wei, Commander of the Costa del Sol outpost, but please call me Xin."

Cloud shook his hand, his cheeks reddening under the man's gaze. "So, Zack told you about me?"

"That and I heard you were placed by the General's side from the grapevine." Xin pointed to the computer. "Having issues?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, motioning to the monitor. "I can't get it to just let me do a simple one on one spar."

"Ah, here let me show you." Xin set his broadsword on a nearby wall. He used the mouse to click back to home screen. "Technically swords aren't until you get into Third Class, so go here. Then, when it wants an environment, pick the easier levels. From here, select number of adversaries and put one. Finally, here you can customize based on what we call 'XP' or experience points. If you put 0 or 1, that's as close to the cadet level as you can get."

Cloud groaned. "Why is it so complicated?"

"Because the techs always forget that normal people can't even create spreadsheets on the best of days." Xin clicked back to the home screen again. "Here, now follow my instructions. I wan to see what you can do."

Feeling his cheeks get even hotter, Cloud did as instructed, keeping quiet and his head down while he did everything like he'd seen Xin do. The whole time, he felt the man's presence right behind him, leaning over but not crowding his space. When he finished, Cloud let the program run, and wondered when the hell Zack was going to show up. Not that he minded the distraction...

"Looks like you're ready to go. I suppose, since I'm here, I could help warm you up."

Cloud felt lips brush against his ear. He turned to face the Second, his eyes catching the other's-.

A door swished open. "Oh, hey Xin!" Zack's voice interrupted. "Didn't know you were in town."

Xin winked at Cloud as he turned to face his superior. "I just arrived this morning. How are things here?"

"Not too shabby, ya know, same shit different day." Zack walked over to throw an arm around Cloud's shoulders. "I see you've met our resident chocobo!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Like that's not a joke I haven't heard."

"Aw, come on! Lighten up or I'll make you do happy drills." Zack said, as he jerked his chin towards Xin. "You remember those?"

Xin's scrunched up expression spoke volumes about the practice. "Let's just say I'd rather forget."

Cloud didn't want to know. "Zack, I've got the program going. Can we get started?"

"Sure, sure! Thanks for helping out Cloud. We'll see you around, ok?" Zack moved with Cloud in a near headlock as they walked towards their training room.

Cloud managed to shout over his shoulder, "Nice to meet you!" before getting dragged away.

Behind them Xin picked up his sword, a small smirk on his lips. "The pleasure was all mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time:
> 
> "Word is Junon is gone. How crazy is that?" 
> 
> "Yeah..." Cloud clenched his PHS hard in his hand. "Crazy." 
> 
> "You ok?" Reno asked, tilting his head to the side. 
> 
> "I've just got a bad feeling in my gut." Cloud flipped his phone open. "Even though it doesn't make sense..."


	6. An Ode to Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, wow! Over 70 comments, over 300 kudos, man you guys really love this story! 
> 
> I'm sorry I went on a hiatus for a while. My schedule got crazy busy. I haven't forgotten this fic, I swear, I just keep getting slammed with things I gotta do. I'll be trying to upload regularly on Wednesdays from now on (as that's the only day I've got "free time" now).

Sephiroth sat in his office for half an hour before curiosity overpowered him. When he realized he'd been tapping his pen and staring at some request form or another on his desk for over five minutes, he rose from his chair. The ShinRa General set his papers off to the side, neatly in order. He locked up and went to the VR level in just five minutes. He tried to pretend he usually took that much time to get there. Long legs and all.

Through an observation window up near the ceiling, Sephiroth noted three active rooms. The camera feeds displayed Xin off in some jungle environment, while a group of Seconds were going through a range of various weapons testing. Finally, he found Zack and Cloud, sparring in the midst of a city center.

Lithe in form, Cloud used his speed and flexibility to his advantage. He dodged Zack's Buster Sword on a downswing, using the momentum of his fallback to upswing with his practice sword. Although Zack managed to parry the move, Sephiroth admitted it was still well done. Zack twirled, making it look easy to wield his chosen blade, bringing the sharp line to cut towards Cloud's ankles.

The blond jumped backwards, acrobat like, bringing up his sword to defend his face as he fell back to earth. Zack clashed their swords together, pushing his opponent back. Cloud bared his teeth, frustrated.

"What's the matter, Spike, too strong for ya?" Zack teased as he bore down even harder.

"Who you callin' Spike, hedgehog?" Cloud sniped back as he shoved left and swiveled to the right.

Zack fell forward, his own weight used against him. Cloud brought his sword over his head for a hit, only to have Zack do a body roll out of the way. Zack laughed as Cloud wobbled, not expecting the move. In response, Cloud charged, not appreciating the chuckles.

Sephiroth noticed as the training continued that Cloud seemed comfortable with his defensive motions, but the offensive ones didn't hold the same confidence. Overall he did well, considering the once trooper only held a cadet's level of knowledge on sword play. Sephiroth's sword hand twitched, itching to get in there and try his 'bodyguard' out.

 _No, no, no,_ he reprimanded himself. From experience, the General knew he sometimes got carried away. Only with his other Firsts and Seconds could he let loose, not on this diminutive boy. He turned away from the cameras, shoving down a sickening warmth that Cloud inspired.

Knowing he'd be unable to concentrate, Sephiroth turned on one of the VR rooms for himself. At the highest level, though, it still couldn't compare to the companions he once had, and lost not that long ago.

Making a new one would just set him up for more disappointment.

~~~

In the training room, Zack pushed Cloud harder than any drill sergeant ever did. They moved through form after form, with Zack using a lot of motion to teach as opposed to words. The method worked on Cloud, as he'd always been a bit of a model learner anyway. Tell him how to do something, he'd forget in an instant. Show him how to do it, and he'd never forget.

Still, one night wouldn't make him a First Class. After an hour and a half Zack called it for the night. Casting a Restore on Cloud, he gestured for the trooper to follow him out.

"Keep that keycard I gave you and you can use this room whenever you've got free time." Zack said, holstering his sword while Cloud put his away with the other training props.

"Sweet Shiva, yes, thank you," Cloud said with a silly, tired grin on his face. "I loved it. Don't get me wrong, it's hard work, but something about training like this just, I don't know, it feels right."

"Oh, trust me, I know what you mean." Zack walked with him out to the hallway. "When I would spar with Angeal, I would feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be."

Cloud winced, and put a hand behind his neck. "You don't have to-."

"Nah, it's fine. I loved the man, he made me who I am, and despite everything that happened I want to honor him by keeping those memories with me." Zack shrugged and bumped Cloud with his elbow. "But I don't want to lose anyone else, so keep a good eye on Seph for me, yeah?"

Cloud nodded and bumped Zack back. "Stupid, of course I'm going to look after him. He's a royal pain, stubborn as hell, but he's still Sephiroth." Cloud pulled out his PHS, checking his mail.

"Oh wow," Cloud showed Zack the picture of Nat's hands, "the guys are not having a fun time over there."

Zack snorted. "I bet, I remember that place, trust me, it's a definite jungle out there with everything trying to kill you."

Cloud sighed as they reached the elevator. "I just hope they don't run into anything too serious."

"They'll be fine. They've got SOLDIER Second Class Kunsel helping them out, and trust me that guy knows his stuff." Zack pressed for up. "Besides, Seph would be over there lickity split if he thought the insurgency was serious. Since he's here, not serious."

Cloud typed up some responses to Nat and Lane, telling them his new mission was a drag too. "Does Sephiroth ever take time off?"

Zack threw his head back and laughed. "A day off, him? Hahaha, never! He's the 'I'll sleep when I'm dead' type of workaholic."

"That can't be healthy." Cloud murmured as they stepped into the lift. "But then again, he is really strong."

"Strong, but not invincible." Zack clapped a hand on Cloud's shoulder and squeezed. "This whole bodyguard deal isn't because he needs protection, it's because he needs to stay grounded. If we just leave him alone, without somebody there, he's gonna get into a bad place in his head and stay there."

Cloud shifted under the weight of those words. "But he doesn't even like me, Zack. How am I supposed to keep him grounded?"

"Doesn't like you? Dude, where did you get that idea?" Zack mussed up Cloud's hair. "Stop being so down on yourself! He likes you just fine. Use your wiles and he may even like you more than fine, if you know what I mean." Zack wiggled his eyebrows.

Cloud blanched. "You're terrible, Zack." The elevator dinged for his floor and got off. "Like Sephiroth would even consider me dating material."

"Hey, never say never." Zack said as the doors closed, "Goodnight and sweet Sephy dreams!"

~~~

Over in Wutai, Nat woke up to the beep of an incoming message. He rolled over and flipped his PHS. With a snort, he clicked on his keyboard to inform Cloud that at least wherever he was didn't have mosquitoes trying to suck out all of his blood.

Now needing to pee, Nat groggily shuffled out of his bunk and to the latrines outside. He rubbed his arms, feeling goosebumps form on his skin. He glanced from left to right, but only found the night watch roaming the perimeter. They'd arrived at base camp with fanfare, as their leader Kunsel was expecting them much earlier. After the helicopter disaster was explained, Kunsel told them all to get patched up and recovered.

Nat's hands were wrapped up in bandages with antiseptic on the welts. The medic didn't want to use magic on them since the damage was minor. Lane called bullshit on that logic, but Nat didn't push the issue. It did make for a difficult time holding his dick so he could piss, though.

He shivered, trying to ignore the feeling of someone watching him. The rest of his company felt the same, like eyes were on the back of their heads. Lane has been twitchy right up until they made it to base. Nat quickly shook and stepped back towards his bunk.

A boot stepped out in front of him, blocking his path. Nat followed it up to black pants and a red leather jacket. Something about the whole outfit rang klaxon alarms inside his brain, but the threat didn't fully register.

"Would you like a potion?" A gloved hand held out a small vial. "It would benefit a trooper to use their hands in combat situations, after all."

Nat gazed up, but the face of the man was half covered by a red scarf. "Thank you, I would, but you're just giving it away?" He tried to figure out why his instincts were screaming at him to run, run, run! "These are kind of expensive." He kept on his poker face, trained well from playing with Lane.

"Hmm, well I suppose compensation could be arranged." The man leaned down moving his scarf out of the way.

Nat nearly screamed, but a well placed finger on his lips silenced him.

"Now, now, none of that." Genesis Rhapsodos smirked. "We both know we don't want me caught. You don't want to die, and I don't want to kill everyone. Not tonight, anyway."

As the finger slipped off his lips, Nat let out a shaky breath. "Then, what do you want?"

Genesis leaned in so close, their breaths mingled. "We have a bit of a mystery on our hands, and you’re going to help me solve it. I want you to do some research. Find out what this company is doing here."

Nat's brows scrunched together. "We were told we're here for the insurgency."

"Not even close. There is not a single insurgent in your area. I checked." Genesis uncapped the potion and put it to Nat's lips. "Drink it."

Fully aware the ex-General could murder him with a single spell, Nat drank every drop. Immediately, he felt his hands heal, along with his body getting refreshed. His legs were no longer sore from walking all those miles of terrain, and his arms weren't dying from lopping down underbrush. He sighed in relief.

Genesis tossed the bottle into the latrine area. "I'll be back in three days. By that point, you should've discovered why you're here. You will give me the information, and we'll be even."

Nat nodded as he lied. "Of course, sir." He fully intended to report this exchange to Kunsel as soon as Genesis walked away.

The red covered man sighed. "Perhaps I've not made it clear, but this kindness comes with a price. You give me the information, you keep my appearance a secret. If you don't, I will raze this entire place to the ground, starting with you. Now, do we understand each other?"

Heart pounding, Nat swallowed and nodded. "Yes."

"Very good," Genesis dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Run along to bed."

Not turning his back to the man, Nat slowly returned to his bunker, closing the door and locking it as soon as he stepped inside. With shaky breaths, Nat tried to calm down.Three days to figure out how to wiggle his way out of this deal, and somehow warn the others without alerting Genesis.

Moving to his cot, Nat slipped into the covers, but didn’t sleep a wink.

~~~

The morning brought with it a meeting that Sephiroth dearly wished he didn’t need to attend. He went overboard in the VR room, even for him, and woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Cloud brought the coffee to him, at least, so he’d be semi-aware of the proceedings.

Lazard and Tseng sat on the other side of the board room, discussing something in low tones. With coffee mug and thermos in hand, Sephiroth sat across from them. Tseng turned to give him a level stare. Both of them sipped on their respective coffees, neither one willing to break eye contact.

Lazard sighed. “Heaven save me from stubborn fools.” He threw two folders in front of them both. “Junon is gone. We’re dealing with Ravens, which might mean Genesis is back to his old tricks again.”

Sephiroth’s eyes flicked down to the folder. A tiny picture of a man with auburn hair smirking into the lens was clipped to the top. He pushed it off to the side. “Where is he now?”

“Possibly in Wutai, but we’ve yet to hear a confirmed sighting.” Tseng picked up the folder and opened it. “Am I to read my own statement again?”

“No,” Lazard shook his head, “I’m giving you access to Hollander’s labs. The man is gone and we need to know more about what he was planning.”

Tseng’s eyebrows shot up. “When I asked before, you said the integrity of ShinRa was at stake. You were very persuasive.”

“Things change.” Lazard put his hands up to rub at his temples, trying to keep back a headache. “If Hollander teams up with insurgents in Wutai, we will have an old enemy re-emerge and stronger than ever. I would rather not think about the idea of Genesis, Hollander, and Wutai deciding to go against ShinRa.”

Sephiroth nodded in agreement. “We will need to warn Kunsel and the army stationed there.”

“Not yet,” Tseng said, ignoring Sephiroth’s pointed glare. “We can send more reinforcements, perhaps, but we can’t let Genesis know we’re aware of his location. He might simply decide to annihilate the threat on his grounds.”

The General opened his mouth to debate, but clacked his teeth together. Tseng’s point made sense, as much as he hated to admit it. “Very well, but we will make a plan to send more troops over there. I will, of course, be going with that company.”

Lazard and Tseng shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The Director of SOLDIER now put a whole hand over his forehead to rub at the no doubt fully awakened migraine within his skull.

“We have orders from the President to keep you in Midgar,” Lazard finally admitted.

Tseng waved a hand in front of himself. “I believe he’s wrong as well, if it matters.”

The General stood up, his voice cold as he proclaimed, “The President would do well to remember that I am the only match for Genesis in battle. If he wants to throw all of my men into a slaughter, he had best make sure he’s prepared for the consequences of such actions.”

“Please don’t threaten the President.” Tseng begged with little enthusiasm. “Putting you on a hit list would be...well, besides impossible also very expensive and a waste of time.”

Lazard threw his hands up in the air. “Can the both of you stop? I’m already working on the President. You two, try not to kill each other or anyone else out of spite. Keep an ear to the ground for word of suspicious activity heading to Wutai. Give me time and I will personally see you both on a copter to face off with Genesis. Deal?”

“Fine,” Sephiroth said, picking up his mug and thermos. “But if I’m not in the air soon, I will go without approval.”

Tseng sipped his morning brew. “‘The Great General Sephiroth Goes AWOL.’ Now there’s a headline to incite panic.”

Lazard stood up. “You’re both hopeless. I’m going upstairs. If the world falls apart on us, too bad. I’m taking an hour for myself. Dismissed.” The Director of SOLDIER stomped out of the meeting room and into the hall.

Sephiroth turned on his heel to leave, but Tseng's voice cut him off.

"He's been acting strange," Tseng said, soft but firm.

The General stopped. "Strange?"

"There are things he's not telling us. For example, just a few days ago he sent out a contingent of SOLDIERS to a small town called Nibelheim in the mountains." Tseng finished his coffee and set it aside. "I can't formally investigate, as it's not my jurisdiction..."

"Never stopped you before," Sephiroth responded, without venom. "I'll see what's to be found on my end."

"Good, because as awful as your headline could be imagine this one: 'Director of SOLDIER Secret Spy for Wutai.'" Tseng quirked a sardonic brow.

Sephiroth downed the rest of his caffeine fix. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have a normal day?"

"I had one once. It was a Thursday. Utterly banal." Tseng stood up to walk with Sephiroth to the door. "And keep your eyes on the guard of yours."

"Why? You suspect him of espionage as well?"

"No, he's simply nice to look at, and you need better scenery in your drab life."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to retort, but Tseng had already opened the door. He winked as he passed Cloud, making the trooper glare at him with suspicion.

"Why do I feel like he's sizing me up for something?" Cloud asked.

"Because he's a Turk, they make everyone feel that way." Sephiroth walked down the hall. "Let's get back to work."

~~~ 

A few hours passed without much incident. Cloud shifted from foot to foot, not even pretending to be alert. Meanwhile, all the other workers around him buzzed about like bees in a hive. The trooper hated to admit it, but he kind of envied them. At least they could move, play on their PHS devices, watch movies when the boss wasn't around, but Cloud remained in place.

 _Well, I suppose technically this is supposed to be a punishment,_ Cloud thought to himself. The first couple of days hasn't been so bad, but now that he'd adjusted to the newness of it all he didn't feel so satisfied. Now it felt too much like he was getting payback for his slip up.

"You look bored," said a deep baritone voice close to his ear.

Cloud jumped to see who it was, and immediately relaxed. "Hey, Xin, how was training?"

"Fine, it's too bad Zack stole you away though." Xin bumped Cloud with his arm. "I would've liked to put you through a few drills."

Cloud scoffed as his face erupted in a blush. "You are trouble, and I'm on the clock."

"Well I can be trouble off the clock, too," Xin smirked, as he went around Cloud to knock on Sephiroth's door. "You two finished lunch?"

"Yes, he's just doing paperwork." Cloud shifted to give the man more attention. "Are you kidnapping the General?"

"Ha! As if I could, no we've got to do some cadet overviews and reviews and such." Xin smiled as Sephiroth opened the door. "You're not wearing your coat?"

"I'll change upstairs and meet you down there." Sephiroth closed the door behind him. "Strife, stay here and make sure Fair doesn't put another monstrosity inside my desk. Don’t let Lucy in either, she’s getting too friendly with the Turks.”

"Yes, sir, I'll do my best." Cloud gave half-hearted salute as the General and the Second Class SOLDIER headed off to the elevator.

Just as he was settling back into boredom, a message dinged on his phone. Cloud shifted his eyes quickly from left to right, checking to see if anyone saw him. Quickly, he pulled out the PHS and flipped it open. He frowned as he read the message from Nat.

> Met an old friend in Wutai. He's driving me crazy. Can't say anything though, since I'm too short to fight back. We've got issues with him having red hair. Against regulation for the grunts ya know? Hope you're safe!

An old friend? But Nat said he didn't have any friends back home, and he'd only been in the army as long as Cloud and Lane. Weird, and it didn't even sound like him. Cloud put his PHS back into his pocket, but his hand stayed around it.

"Hi there, Cloud!" Reno interrupted his thoughts, swaggering over to lean against the wall beside the guard. "You hear about all the news?"

"Sort of, I read all the newsletters this morning." Cloud's brows scrunched up together. "Shouldn't you be...I dunno, what is it Turks do when they're not toppling regimes?"

"Mostly paperwork." Reno said with a flippant shrug.

Cloud gave Reno a once over, from the red head's crazy messy hair to the untucked shirt along with the wrinkled pants hanging low. "You do paperwork?"

"Eh, ok my partner does most of that, but then I get to carry his ass out of bad shit, so it works." Reno sighed as he slid down the wall. "Bored."

"You're not the one guarding an empty room," Cloud informed him.

"True enough." Reno sat crossed legged on the floor, ignoring the odd looks he got from the staff. "Word is Junon is gone. How crazy is that?"

"Yeah..." Cloud clenched his PHS hard in his hand. "Crazy."  
  
"You ok?" Reno asked, tilting his head to the side.  
  
"I've just got a bad feeling in my gut." Cloud flipped his phone open. "Even though it doesn't make sense..."

"You need to relax, dude." Reno said, poking Cloud in his calf. "I can get us some liquor and ‘workin’ ladies,’ if you're into that."

"Nope. On the clock." Cloud said, resolute.

"Ok, how about beer and pizza?"

"Still no." Cloud said, nudging Reno with his boot. "And you should be getting back to...whatever it is you do."

"I can get us a shiny ShinRa car to go speed racing?"

"No," Cloud said with a sigh as he pulled a hand through his hair. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate it, but I've got a job to do. So can you just-?"

"Alright, alright," Reno stood up with his hands out. "But dude, you don't look so good, ya know?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine," Cloud saw the blur of hands and reacted. He caught a wrist in one hand while blocking a grabbing hand with his forearm. His eyes widened at the sight of a syringe in Reno's fingers.

Cloud shouted in panic, “Nofuckyou!” He kicked out but missed, narrowly avoiding the next stab to his arm. He dodged, keeping his form low as Reno kept striking fast left and right. Cloud managed to back away, knocking over a waste bin. Without taking time to think about it, Cloud reached behind him, and tossed the plastic straight at Reno’s face.

It bounced off Reno’s forehead, just giving Cloud enough time to try for a low tackle to the ground. It half succeeded, at least getting the Turk to the ground. Cloud didn’t manage to get a good grapple, leaving them both flailing around on the carpet.

Reno shouted, “Oi! Just hold still!”

Reno flipped them over and over, but they both jumped up to face off again. Cloud jumped back each time the needle got jabbed in his direction. With a feint to the left, Reno shifted to the right. Using his opening, the Turk grabbed ahold of the front of Cloud’s shirt.

The blond trooper responded by looping one leg on the arm and swinging up the other to kick his assailant in the nose. Reno dropped him to cradle his face in one hand. “Son of a bitch, that hurts!”

By now the other people on the floor were watching with rapt attention as the new bodyguard and the youngest of the Turks fought. Pissed off, Reno made the mistake of throwing a punch-.

Staff people cried out as Cloud flipped Reno over his shoulder. The Turk, winded, didn't even notice the syringe get popped into his own neck.

As Reno turned, he glared up at Cloud. He said, "Hey, no fair, you're supposed to beeeee whoa, this is good shit." He slammed down onto his broken face.

Cloud huffed in and out as he dropped the needle. People around him started murmuring about an attack, but the trooper shook his head. He waved his arms as he proclaimed. "Everything is fine! It's just a crazy prank. Go about your business."

No one looked convinced. Cloud pulled out his PHS to call security. In less than two minutes, a Third and a Second arrived to take Reno down to the infirmary. Cloud handed over the needle for testing. He resumed his post, breathing in and out, calming down.

So much for a boring job.

~~~

Zack and Xin stood close discussing cadets while Sephiroth maintained his position over by the observation window. The General noted the more promising of the groups, but also took stock of the ones lagging the worst behind. Zack came over to point at one of the promising boys, a young stocky teen with a square jaw.

"He's in the lead, but he's got a bad habit of pushing the others around." Zack brought up a tablet to show the marks on the boy's tests. "His exams are high, though, so he's got the brains to match the brawn."

"But that won't do him any good if he can't work in a team," Xin complained, sounding like he'd argued this line a million times. "We need leaders, sure, but-."

Sephiroth put a hand up. Zack and Xin fell into a tense silence. Sephiroth, now in his full regalia with Masamune at his hip and famous leather coat upon his shoulders, appeared every bit their General. His very aura exuded authority, the demand for obedience.

"I don't expect him to make it past basic." Sephiroth announced, stunning both of his listeners.

"What, but why?" Zack asked, eyes darting from the cadets below to his tablet and back again

"Because he's lacking in focus. Watch." Sephiroth pointed at the cadet as he went through hand-to-hand combat drills. "He does as ordered, but as soon as the trainer turns his back...see?" The cadet slumped down and promptly fell into a sloppy stance. "He can't work without someone always monitoring his efforts."

"Ah," Xin said, understanding. "He will always pass the tests, but as soon as we throw him into a combat scenario, just like the simulation for the entrance exam for SOLDIER, he'd fail."

"Aw, man, that's too bad." Zack sighed as he swiped right to another cadet. "Whelp, guess that's it then. We've got...only five out of thirty expected to pass." Zack groaned, "Guess I'll just have to keep training Cloud into a SOLDIER to make up for the numbers."

"I can help," Xin said, quick to offer.

Zack squinted at him. "Don't even think about it, playboy."

"What? I'm just saying, if he needs a helping hand-."

Zack sputtered as he wielded his tablet like a sword. "Keep your mitts off him! Cloud is innocent, and I won't let you corrupt him."

"He is fully aware I'm trouble, and he doesn't seem to mind." Xin put his hands on his hips. "Besides, I can tell he's gonna turn me down, for a date anyway."

"Wait, huh?" Zack dropped his dramatic fighting pose. "You're giving up just like that?"

"I know when I'm beat," Xin said with a laugh in his voice. "He's got it bad for someone. I don't know who it is, but I put on my charm and I can see it, there's already someone taking up that space between him and me."

"But..." Zack scratched his head. "Cloud hasn't told me about anyone. I mean, no one besides me, Seph, his mom, and a couple of friends. He's kind of a recluse."

"Trust me, the guy has got it bad." Xin motioned to Zack. "Knowing you, are you sure you're not just oblivious to him crushing on you?"

"Shut your whore mouth, we're just friends. Cloud would've told me by now if it was more. He tells me everything." Zack hummed in thought. "Then again, he might not know yet. He's a bit thick headed."

Sephiroth glared over his shoulder at the two of them. "I feel the need to remind everyone in this room that my so-called bodyguard is still both _underage_ and a subordinate."

"Psh, rules were made to be broken," Xin said, waving a hand dismissively.

"I'm with Xin on that one, Cloud is more like sixteen going on forty. He's more mature than most of the Second Class guys. If he wants to date someone a little older, I'm not gonna stand in his way, unless it's a heartbreaker like some people." Zack gave Xin a pointed look.

Sephiroth turned to give them his full, exasperated attention. "Since it's apparent both of you can't be trusted, let me make this an official order: do not seduce Cloud Strife or help him be seduced until he is legal."

"Aw, you just want him all to yourself!" Zack teased.

"Yeah, spoilsport," Xin said, putting both hands on his hips.

Sephiroth let out a huff. "If you're both done, we must go make our appearance. I'm sure Zack is dying to use some sort of dream speech on the unsuspecting cadets."

Xin groaned as Zack's eyes filled with light. Sure enough, Zack gave his honor and dream speech while Sephiroth feigned interest. Xin kept glancing around at the cadets, until the speech ended and he could help them with form work. Zack and Xin took the more promising ones off to the side for a quick rundown, just to see if their suspicions held water. Sephiroth continued to observe but not get involved.

When Angeal and Genesis did the rounds of evals with him, they did the same, rotating around the training area. Angeal noted Zack immediately as a candidate for SOLDIER, and called for him right after the entrance exam to be his protege. Meanwhile, Genesis always favored the more magically inclined, and often grabbed up the materia class students with high marks.

 _These poor fools, always trying so hard only to die so young,_ a voice from the past whispered in his ear.

Sephiroth stilled his mind, refusing to fall into one of his darker moods around the cadets. He pushed through, remaining the stoic figure right up until his own speech. He spoke the same vague yet somewhat inspiration speech he gave to all the cadets. He never quite became accustomed to the fawning thrown at him. Genesis always soaked that attention up like a sponge, Angeal took it in stride with a fatherly smile, but Sephiroth kept up his walls. For some reason, the masses still liked him regardless of his cold demeanor.

After the salutes and the farewells, Xin and Zack walked with him back up to the office floor. They came to a startled halt at the sight of the blood on the carpet, the mess getting cleaned up by maintenance, and Cloud Strife standing stock still with wide eyes with his uniform in disarray.

Sephiroth frowned as he walked over to his guard. “Report.”

Cloud saluted and said, “Reno the Turk attacked me. No idea why, but he really wanted me to get away from the office.”

Zack came up to fuss at Cloud’s uniform. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“No, he tried to dose me with something, but I stabbed him with it instead.” Cloud leaned against the wall. “Guess your training really helped me out more than I thought.”

“That’s great,” Zack said, his smile beaming, “that’ll teach him to try and take you on!”

Xin walked around the area, noting the blood with an amused grin. “Looks like you got a hit.”

“Yeah, uh,” Cloud rubbed the back of his head, “I kind of broke his nose.”

Sephiroth’s brows raised. Taking on a Turk and managing to land a hit? That was no small feat. He moved to take stock of his door. Nothing appeared wrong, but knowing Tseng that meant something else was at play here. Unlocking his door, he entered with his hand on his blade.

Nothing, so far. Sephiroth walked inside, tense. Cloud and Zack were right behind him, materia primed. Xin stayed attentive at the door, barring it from intruders. After a few seconds of no activity, Sephiroth took his hand off his blade.

“It’s a trap.” Zack said without any doubt in his voice. “But what did he do?”

“But how could he have gotten inside? I took Reno out.” Cloud asked.

Sephiroth opened his mouth to say something as Cloud flipped the room switches on. In that split second, Sephiroth _knew._

“The vents.”

Sparkly, glittering pink confetti sprayed out from the A/C units along the ceiling, covering every inch of the office. Zack gasped dramatically with badly fought grin on his face. Cloud stared in bemusement as the tiny pieces fell in front of his face. Xin cast a glance over his shoulder and chuckled.

The Great General plucked one piece out of his hair. On the slip was a phone number to a certain coffee establishment frequently used by one Tseng of the Turks. Crunching the paper in his hand, Sephiroth turned to his giggling Second in Command.

“Cloud, get a vacuum. Zack, _get revenge.”_  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: 
> 
> Genesis leaned over Nat. "You're lying."
> 
> "Nope," Nat opened the file to the first page. "Says right here, 'Dismantle all reactor foundations.' Something about the Lifestream and 'hurting the chances of paradise.' It's all weird after that, well, weirder." 
> 
> "So we went to war for nothing?" Genesis asked, his hands balling up into fists. 
> 
> "Before you get all murder-y, answer this: Why would ShinRa suddenly want to kill the General?"


	7. Suspicious Activities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your support guys! We've gotten to the point where people are wanting to leave multiple kudos. The bookmarks have gone over 100, too, yay! I'll be uploading again next week, don't worry. I'm making progress and staying one chapter ahead at least.

Tseng hummed a familiar tune as he tapped away on his keyboard. He put in requests for more guards to patrol his office hallway, and sent Reno a mail on mission accomplished. His informants informed him that Sephiroth spent the majority of his afternoon cleaning his glitter covered office with Strife and Fair. As far as he knew, they still tried in vain to get every single tiny bit of the craft supply from hell out of there.

He knew vengeance would come on swift wings, but if he prepared he felt secure he could avert Fair’s attention. As he finished that bit of business, he took out his PHS to make a call to Cissinei. She answered her phone with an even tone.

“We’ve lost him.” She said in lieu of proper protocol.

Tseng froze. “How?”

“I was with him in the labs, and now he’s gone.” Her tense voice conveyed her panic.

Tseng stood up and hurried to his door. “Keep it quiet. I’ll investigate upstairs. You comb through the lower levels again.”

Tseng locked his door and rushed over to the stairs. He ran up to the 30th floor, hoping against hope that he would find his wayward scientist with his prized subject. Although he was sure that Sephiroth wouldn’t have ever allowed Hojo to visit him during work hours, he held out for the off chance that the professor wanted him for some test or another.

Ignoring the looks of shock he received from the other office staff, Tseng headed straight towards the quite furious General pouring out a vacuum pack into a trash bag held by an amusd Xin. Sephiroth looked up, and immediately his demeanor changed. He gave Cloud the vacuum pack.

“You’ve got nerves of steel, Turk.” Sephiroth said, but his voice lacked the required ire. The General knew something was wrong.

“Well, I’m not one to gloat, as you well know.” Tseng nodded in Cloud’s direction. “I came to apologize to your loyal guard. I never intended for Reno to attack him, although I heard he did well holding his own.”

Cloud sighed as he dumped the rest of his glitter mess into the bag. “Thanks and screw you all in one, sir.”

Xin sputtered before he chuckled. “Man, no wonder you got thrown on guard duty. Your mouth is a weapon Cloud, damn.”

Sephiroth smirked at Tseng. “Seems your olive branch has been denied.”

“Ah, well,” Tseng’s eyes surveyed the hall, “one can try. Speaking of, has your other antagonist come around?”

Sephiroth’s face didn’t even twitch. “Fortunately, no, we’re not scheduled to meet until next week, and it will stay that way.”

Tseng nodded. “I see. Well, carry on. I await to see what your team cooks up.” Tseng nodded in their general direction before heading to the elevator.

No one should be aware the Turks just lost a major asset, but Sephiroth keeping tabs would be in his best interests. If the much despised Professor Hojo up and decided to join Wutai or betray the company, the General definitely needed to know, because out of everyone in ShnRa he deserved the kill. 

~~~

The Wutai camp was bored. Besides daily patrols and the occasional monster mission, the troopers did nothing else of interest. Well, most of them, anyway.

Nat kept his eyes and ears open, trying to figure out the true mission, but found himself at a loss. Lane and him patrolled the perimeter with automatics on their hips, safety off and focus lost. Lane yawned so hard his jaw popped.

“Why would they send us out here if there isn’t an insurgency?” Nat asked, not one for subtlety.

“Fuck it if I know, but it’s a waste of money and resources to just throw us out here for nothin’.” Lane shifted his weight from foot to foot before they started walking again.

Nat checked over his shoulder, but all the other troopers were in the camp, bullshiting their day away. He muttered under his breath, “Do you think...maybe we should find out?”

Lane hummed, let out a slow breath. “You ever just know somethin’s off? I’ve been feeling that way since we got here. Yeah, if we can figure it out, I might feel better.”

Nat muttered under his breath. “What do you think we should do? I mean, we can’t just break into Kunsel’s tent, right?”

Lane said nothing for a beat, “...Well…”

Nat stopped in his tracks. “No, no way man! That was a joke, and a bad one at that. If we get caught, we’re out. We’re dead!”

“It would be the most direct path,” Lane said without a hint of fear. “We get in, we read a few files, then we know what’s up, easy.”

Nat groaned. “We have very different definitions of easy, dude.” He shuddered, thinking back to the other night.

If Nat failed, the whole camp would go up in flames. He wondered if sending Cloud that cryptic text was a smart move, but if Cloud could figure it out and tell a higher up maybe they’d get some back up. He needed to keep trying both angles, investigating and calling for help quietly. He couldn’t let Genesis kill his squad. He knew he wasn’t the strongest, but he felt the same intense loyalty all troopers held for their fellow infantrymen. Cloud hadn’t responded, which gave him hope. Maybe help was on the way?

Or maybe he was on his own, and Kunsel’s tent held the salvation for his friends.

“Alright, how do we do this?”

~~~ 

Cloud never imagined glitter and confetti would take so long to clean up. Xin stayed as long as he could before he headed out to investigate the slums for some low level monsters. Sephiroth needed to get paperwork finished before the end of the day, so Cloud was left to keep chugging away at the bits all over the floor walls, and the desk area.

When dinnertime came, he arrived at Bear’s door exhausted and starving. The surly man took one look at him and grumbled, “Did’ja get into a tussle with a fairy or what?”

Cloud let out a half laugh, not quite up to making it fully enthused. “A Turk prank.”

“Ah,” Bear nodded in understanding before he fetched the trays and coffee, “you shoulda told the General to clean up his own mess, and don’tell me he didn’ start it.”

Cloud shrugged. “Wasn’t even going to.” He took the trays with a happy smile. “Is there beef in these?”

“Yep, ya like?” Bear grinned.

“Duh,” Cloud licked his lips, “I’m a country kid. Beef and stews are our thing.”

Bear grunted. “I try tah make mine witha bit of spice. Enjoy.” He shut the door, returning to his own dinner rush in the caf.

When Cloud returned to the office, Sephiroth was plopping a stack of folders into his out box. He rubbed his temples and stood up. “I’m joining you at the table.”

Startled, Cloud walked over to the table. “Can I ask why?”

“Because I don’t feel like eating in the midst of that mess.” Sephiroth sat down and took a tray in hand. “Beef stew?” Sephiroth uncovered the tray with brows up. “Huh.”

“What?” Cloud asked as he picked up his spoon.

“Bear only makes his beef stew for people he likes.” Sephiroth picked up his spoon. “And he doesn’t like me.”

Cloud snickered. “Maybe he made it tonight and this is just extra?”

“Beef stew for grunts?” Sephiroth asked before he took in a mouthful. “More like mystery meat slop. No, the last time he made this was for Kunsel’s birthday.”

Cloud ate some, and froze. “Wow, yeah, this is really good.” He ate slowly, savoring the hot kick to his tastebuds. “Holy Shiva, I’ve not eaten something this good since home.”

Sephiroth poured them both coffee. “Home is Nibelheim as I recall.”

“Yes,” Cloud said. He ate small spoonfuls, trying to make his meal last. “Mountain town, not much else out there besides a reactor, wolves, and some dragons.”

“Sounds like a rough place,” Sephiroth said.

“Kind of. Winters are harsh, obviously, but you can see the stars out there. No smog like here.” Cloud closed his eyes. “And the food is fresh.”

Sephiroth watched Cloud lick his lips, his eyes bright as he kept going through his plate. The blond licked his lips, and smiled. For a brief second, breath caught in the General’s throat. He coughed out, and went back to eating.

“I commend you for holding your own against Reno.” Sephiroth said, dipping some bread into his stew. “Not many of my guards were ever forced to defend anything of mine.”

Cloud sighed. “Yeah, I’m just sorry I failed.”

“Failed?” Sephiroth waved his hand to the last bits of glitter. “I have no doubt Tseng intended for more than just this. No, whatever Reno wanted to get you out of the way for, he failed not you.” Sephiroth set his spoon down. “I give credit where credit is due.”

The silver haired man munched on his bread, a small smile coming to his lips. “Most of my unwanted babysitters were a hindrance, but you’ve turned out to be a surprising asset.” Sephiroth leaned forward. “Do me a favor and never tell Lazard.”

Cloud’s face erupted in a faint blush. “Yes, sir, can do.” He ducked his head down. “So, what do you think Zack’s gonna do?”

“I don’t know, and it’s best I don’t.” Sephiroth smirked. “Plausible deniability.”

“Ah,” the blond trooper bit his lip, “I don’t suppose you could let Zack borrow me for some...paperwork support?”

The General froze. “I do believe that starting Monday we might have an influx. It would be a shame for Zack to get behind. My office space is bigger than his and would facilitate a more fluid working environment.”

Cloud shook his head. “And people say you won over Wutai with your good looks.”

Sephiroth chuckled. With the conversation done, he and Cloud finished the rest of their meal in comfortable silence. As much as the General hated to admit it, the trooper had indeed managed to usurp all of his expectations. He trained without being told to do so, he managed to stay focused on all of his tasks, and he never nagged Sephiroth over his work schedule. Not to mention that Zack telling him of the strange loyalty Cloud had for him, regardless of the way Sephiroth treaded all over him initially, that spoke volumes about Strife’s character.

He sipped on his coffee, staring down at the floor. Sephiroth didn’t trust Cloud completely, but for the moment he could see the benefit in acting a tad more cordial. He turned to gaze at Cloud finishing up his stew, licking at the corners of his lips. With a firm headshake, Sephiroth cursed Zack and Xin for getting those unwanted thoughts into his head.

Honestly, they couldn’t have been more incompatible, logically speaking…

“Sir?” Cloud asked, staring back at him. “Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes, just thinking too much.” Sephiroth pushed his tray away. “Would you mind taking these down?”

“It is my job, you know.” Cloud sorted everything to get taken downstairs. “I can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow.”

“I wish I could do the same. Unfortunately, I’m on call no matter the day.” Sephiroth shrugged. “But I’m not going to stick around the office. I think I’ll stroll along the grounds and get my Second Class a refresher in sparring with a real SOLDIER.”

Cloud gave Sephiroth a deadpanned glare as he said, “And the newspapers called you humble once.”

~~~

 In the dense forest of Wutai, Genesis watched the SOLDIER camp with a small frown on his lips. In his pocket, a PHS buzzed. He absently flipped it open. Although he wasn’t by any means a tech master, he managed to have his messages sent to him from his old phone line, a forwarded message that bounced off a bunch of proxy servers before ending up in his new inbox.

He stared at the message, his lips forming a half smirk.

 

> _My latest bodyguard is a joke. You'd love him, I think. He's got the most ridiculous hairstyle I've ever seen. He makes Zack's look tame. He's not afraid to speak his mind, either. So mouthy, but I'll break him of it soon._
> 
> _S_

Genesis flipped it shut and stowed it away. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He hated that it wasn’t a voicemail. Sephiroth couldn’t send those anymore, as only texts could be sent to disabled inboxes.

Genesis murmured to the trees, “I miss the sound of his voice.” 

Movement from the camp caught his eye. Genesis frowned as he watched his little spy go into Kunsel's tent. Him and his friend disappeared into the tent for longer than was probably wise. He held his breath for them, as he could see Kunsel only just beyond the perimeter on the other side of the tent. The two infantrymen came out of the tent looking shocked and frazzled before quickly walking away from the tent. They were talking quickly, but Genesis couldn't read their lips to see what they were discussing. 

He didn't like it; he told the boy not to inform anyone about his presence. He dug his fingers into his arms. As much as he enjoyed causing devastation, he actually didn't want to kill an entire regiment in cold blood. He waited, long enough for the shadows to grow long on the ground. He lost track of time, let his focus fall away. 

Suddenly, Nat ran out from the camp. He headed off in the direction of a clearing, surely trying in vain to find the red haired man who threatened his life. Genesis growled unkind things under his breath. A movement like that would get noticed-.

Pop, pop, pop! Genesis ducked down, as did everyone in the camp. He watched from the bushes as all the troops scrambled to find the source of the sounds, no doubt fearing gunfire from the insurgency. Nat continued running, and Genesis realized the plan.

All in all, not bad, if lacking in finesse.

He rushed over to the clearing, reaching it just as Nat did. The trooper held a folder in his hand, proof of the mission objectives. Nat gave him a stunned look and then blurted out, “You were right! The insurgency, it’s a fraud. The reason we’re here, you’re not gonna believe it.” He flipped open the folder to the middle page. “We’re supposed to shut down all reactor construction.”

Genesis leaned over Nat. “You’re lying.”

“Nope,” Nat opened the file to the first page. “Says right here, ‘Dismantle all reactor foundations.’ Something about the Lifestream and ‘hurting the chances of paradise.’ It’s all weird after that, well, weirder.”

“So we went to war for nothing?” Genesis asked, his hands balling up into fists.

“Before you get all murder-y, answer this: Why would ShinRa suddenly want to kill the General?”

Genesis stopped breathing. “What?”

“The next orders on here are to bring Sephiroth here, lure him to Wutai, and for the army to kill him.” Nat said, shaking his head. “When Lane and I found the file, we said fuck it. He made the distraction. He thinks I’m running off to go warn Midgar about all of this…” Nat’s face paled. “Guess I’m technically a deserter like you now.”

Genesis glanced up and down at his new ally. “You would do that for him?”

Nat gave him a disgruntled look. “Wouldn’t you have, before?”

The crimson ex-SOLDIER clacked his teeth shut. Ridiculous, he wouldn’t have risked his life for Sephiroth…but at the very least he would’ve given him a head start. He turned to glance over at the camp. The troops were getting organized, starting to put two and two together. Soon, they’d realize one of theirs was missing…

“Maybe you don’t have to desert,” Genesis pointed to Nat’s pocket. “Send out an S.O.S. You’ve just been captured by Genesis Rhapsodos.”

~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: 
> 
> "We're leaving?" Tifa gazed around her childhood home, shocked at the idea of abandoning it. "Where will we go?" 
> 
> Mayor Lockhart put an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "I don't know, sweetheart, but we can't stay. They've made that very clear." 
> 
> Tifa hated that she'd have to leave, but at the same time she remembered a boy who promised to protect her a year ago. He lived in Midgar now. Maybe she could go and find him there? If he was brave enough to do that, then she'd be brave, too.


	8. All New Situations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty guys, we're onto the next steps. The plot is moving, characters are getting all entangled, and the mysteries deepen. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews.

Cloud’s PHS alarm went off just as his shift ended. He stared at the text, unable to comprehend the words for a brief second. 

> _ Help! I’ve been captured by Genesis! Send aid to Wutai!  _

He thought for a second it might be a prank. But then he remembered the other text, the old friend, likes red, shit! 

He pounded on Sephiroth’s door. “Sir! Open up, please!” 

The commander must’ve sailed across the room because he opened it in no time. “What’s the problem?” 

Cloud held out his PHS. “Sir, my friend’s been taken in Wutai. Please, do something. It’s General Rhapsodos.” He tried to remain calm, kept hoping that a new text would pop up that it was a prank. A stupid, awful prank. 

Sephiroth grabbed the phone out of his hand. He read the message with a quick once over and nodded. “I’m grabbing my coat and gear.” The General walked over behind his desk. He shucked off his business shirt and put on his jacket in record time. Masamune got clipped onto his hip as he walked back to Cloud. 

“Sir, I’m coming with you,” Cloud said. 

“Lazard wouldn’t shut up unless I took you, of course you’re riding along.” Sephiroth stomped towards the elevator as he took out his PHS. “I’ll make Zack get you some materia and a weapon before we board the chopper.”

“Isn’t Zack coming?” Cloud asked, surprised. 

“Negative, Lieutenant Fair should remain here. As my Second in Command, if I should fall in battle, he would assume authority over SOLDIER. I would rather he do that here.” Sephiroh pressed a button and held it to his face while Cloud pressed for the elevator.

“Zack, we got word Genesis is in Wutai. I’m heading out with Cloud now. Bring a standard rifle with rounds and materia...Yes, I suppose a backpack would be nice...No, you may not.” Sephiroth hung up. 

Cloud tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, “What did Zack say?”

“Nothing important.” Sephiroth and Cloud stepped onto the elevator together. “He’ll be up soon. I’m going to prepare the helicopter for flight. Reinforcements will follow behind us.” 

Cloud frowned, brow furrowing. “Sir, wait, why are they following us and not coming with us?” 

Sephiroth exited the elevator as he said, “Because I’m not asking for permission, I’m asking for forgiveness.” 

“What does that mean?!” Cloud shouted as he trotted after his commanding officer. 

Sephiroth opened the front door to a helicopter. Cloud stared at the ShinRa insignia on the side, and then back to Sephiroth. 

“Sir, this isn’t a military vehicle.” Cloud pointed out as he slid open the hatch. “I want it noted for the record that I protested the use of the goddamn President’s chopper as transport.” 

“Noted.” Sephiroth said as he flipped switches. “The President doesn’t want me leaving the compound unless there is evidence of Genesis in Wutai. I have my evidence, so I’m going.” 

“Sir, I’m not going to talk you out of it, but shouldn’t we at least notify Lazard? He is the Head of SOLDIER.” Cloud strapped himself into the seat. 

Across the tarmac, Zack appeared from the elevator. With two bags in each hand, he ran over to the open hatch and threw them inside. “Hey Spike, be careful out there. Do whatever Sephiroth tells you, ok? No talk back after lift off.” Zack secured the bags to the floor and hit the side with his fist. “You’re prepped Seph! Stay safe, don’t die, and keep Spike in one piece.” 

It suddenly hit Cloud that he was going on a mission, a real mission out of Midgar. He opened his mouth to say something, but Zack was already shutting the door. Sephiroth grabbed a helmet beside him and tossed it into Cloud’s lap. “Put it on, it’s going to get very loud in here.” 

Cloud did as ordered. He watched through the glass as Zack waved goodbye. He waved in return, trying to put on a brave smile. Before he could even catch his breath, the rotters swung and lifted them up into the air. 

~~~

Down in the depths of the Science Department, among the newly acquired test subjects, Hojo’s body was discovered. Tseng stared in shock, his eyes roaming over the fallen form of the Professor. A neat, clean headshot to his forehead, no muss and no fuss. Efficient, and arguably too good an end for someone so deranged. Tseng cast a glance over to Cissinei. 

The young woman shrugged her shoulders, also unable to figure it out. “I was watching him work, and then I turned to go get a soda. The next thing I know, he’s gone.” 

Tseng put a hand to his head. “We need to contain the information. Sephiroth is aware of the matter to a degree, but I kept him in the dark about the details.” Tseng frowned as he stared down at the dead body. “Let’s just keep it between us for now.” Tseng moved over to the head. “He keeps an incinerator down here. We can put it to good use.” 

Cissinei nodded as she bent down to get the ankles. “Are we going to inform the President?” 

“Not until we gather all our intel and data down here.” Tseng lifted up the corpse with her help. “Whoever killed him needed access, and very few people had access. We’ll figure it out in less than a day, if we’re lucky.” 

~~~

Genesis took Nat to his newly renovated hidden laboratory. Hollander was still doing his research into the cells at one desk, muttering to himself. Nat awkwardly stayed off to the side, nervous now that he was in fact at the mercy of a mad scientist and an ex-General. Genesis offered him some water and a granola bar before leaving to go check out his perimeter. 

Hollander glanced up over at Nat every once and awhile, unsure about the new addition, but not quite daring to talk to him. Nat bit his lip, his hand going back into his pocket to rub the PHS. He prayed for a response soon. If Cloud didn’t get help, then he’d be in trouble. He didn’t think through what Genesis might do if nobody believed Cloud, just dismissed the infantryman’s concerns for another prank. Maybe he should try someone else?

A ping and a buzz. He brought it out to look, and smiled.

> _ Help is coming, Nat! I’m en route with backup. I’m bringing the biggest guns we have. _

Nat let out a whoop of joy. Hollander cried out in surprise. Nat laughed, ignoring him. Genesis walked back into the room. 

“He’s coming!” Nat said with a big grin on his face. “Sephiroth is coming. Cloud must’ve convinced him! They’re coming.” 

Genesis sighed and leaned against the wall. “That’s good. We will snatch their precious General out of their hands.” 

Hollander sucked in a breath. “Genesis, if you can get the Jenova cells from Sephiroth-.” 

“Yes, I’m aware.” Genesis wrapped an arm around his middle. “If I can get him on our side, all the better, and with ShinRa’s imminent assassination attempt it might not take much convincing on my end.” 

Nat brought out the file. “Jenova…” He flipped through the pages to the back. “The file says that Jenova is a calamity. Are you sure you want the cells?” 

“What?” Genesis and Hollander surrounded Nat. 

Nat held out the file pages. “It says right here, ‘Jenova is a calamity, one that must be destroyed, and all of her children.’ It goes on to talk about mako and cells and how she can control you through them.” He hesitated, then he handed the file to Hollander. “There is a section about Genesis in there, it says you can help him, if you get the right water.” 

“Water?” Hollander looked through the papers, reading avidly. “What kind of water?” 

“I dunno, but maybe if you read the whole thing, you’ll be able to figure it out.” Nat turned to Genesis as the general stared at the file with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“Hojo kept all of his information so tightly controlled. He refused to give me anything. And then here it is. Why?” Genesis shook his head. “Something is going awry inside ShinRa.” 

Nat shrugged. “Maybe they’re turning over a new leaf?” 

Genesis scoffed. “Hardly, more like the poison within is starting to eat away at their core...or at least one would hope.” 

The infantryman shifted from foot to foot. “I’d rather not die, please and thanks.” He meant to make it sound flippant, like an afterthought kind of suggestion, but it came out too strained. 

Genesis murmured, “ _ My friend, the fates are cruel _ . We will all perish someday.” 

Nat grumbled back, “ _ My friend, your desire/ Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess _ . I’d like to keep living as long as I can, so let’s wait for Sephiroth and Cloud before we do anything crazy, okay?” 

Genesis paused. His face scrunched up and his voice held such disbelief, “...Cloud?” 

“Yeah, weird name, and wait til you get a load of his hair. Makes the Lieutenant's look tame in comparison.” 

~~~

As they were coming up on Wutai, Sephiroth was trying very hard to keep Cloud focused on the upcoming battles and less on the rocking motion of the helicopter in the air. The blond’s groans of pain weren’t comforting, and Sephiroth firmly believed he was doing poorly at his attempts to deviate his bodyguard from possibly losing all the contents of his stomach all over the floor. 

“Recite the fundamental materia,” Sephiroth ordered.

Cloud took a breath and started, “Summon, Command, Magic, Support, and Independent.” Cloud gasped in pain as he added, “You can combine Support Materia to others in order to aim at multiple targets. Summons bring in creatures to aid in battle. Magic can be offensive or defensive or restorative.” 

“Good, cadet,” Sephiroth said. He thought about another topic change, and finally decided to sate his curiosity. “If this is inappropriate, you don’t have to answer, but I would like to know. How did you fail your SOLDIER exam? I looked through your files. Impeccable record, up until the incident that landed you with me. Decent grades, although you’re by no means a genius. So what was it?” 

Cloud sighed into his microphone. “I failed the physical. I don’t put on weight like the other guys do, I don’t know why. I’m stringy, even though I can lift just like the others. I’ve got no problems holding a sword I just...for some reason, I don’t bulk up.” 

Sephiroth hummed. “That probably has more to do with age than anything else. You are still young.” 

“Maybe, but I was told I won’t go through another growth spurt. I tried eating eggs and meat, but no go.” Cloud murmured. “I hope that if Zack trains me enough I’ll get stronger, and then I’ll pass.” 

Sephiroth paused, thinking about it. “And with the amount of push ups you’re getting under my preview, no doubt your arms will improve in strength.” 

Cloud laughed. “Yeah, no doubt. That’s your version of kindness then, sir?” 

“Something like that, although I’ve been told my thoughtfulness causes less appreciation and more aspirin sales.” Sephiroth took them down low, bringing them in for a landing. The sun was just starting to set over the horizon as he flew towards the camp. 

Cloud groaned loud. “If I die, tell Zack he can have my couch.” 

“I’d rather not. I was thinking of adding one to my office.” 

“Oh, you thieving bastard.” 

“And that’s definitely 20.” 

~~~   
  


Half a world away in a sleepy town called Nibelheim, Tifa Lockhart heard strange noises outside her bedroom. She woke up to look through her window. Men rushed back and forth from the ShinRa mansion, trying to put out a blazing fire. Townspeople had gathered around near her house to watch everything, gossiping about it with slight apprehension. 

She pulled on a robe and went downstairs. Her father, the Mayor, spoke with a ShinRa guard in gruff tones. The ShinRa guard said something terse before turning around and walking away. 

"Papa, what's going on?" Tifa asked, moving to stand by his side.

"The soldier just informed me that tomorrow we're all going to be evacuated." Mayor Lockhart grimaced at the idea. "Our reactor is unstable." 

"We're leaving?" Tifa gazed around her childhood home, shocked at the idea of abandoning it. "Where will we go?" 

Mayor Lockhart put an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "I don't know, sweetheart, but we can't stay. They've made that very clear." 

Tifa hated that she'd have to leave, but at the same time she remembered a boy who promised to protect her a year ago. He lived in Midgar now. Maybe she could go and find him there? If he was brave enough to do that, then she'd be brave, too. 

Everyone missed the sight of a red caped figure heading off towards the reactor, a golden metal arm gleaming in the moonlight.

~~~

After getting his push ups out of the way, Cloud trekked with Sephiroth to the camp. They arrived with fanfare, as Kunsel ran up to them with shock written all over his features. Sephiroth debriefed him and the Seconds in command at the base. Cloud stood behind the General as the meeting went on, answering when spoken to about the text and Nat's personality. Eventually, the talks settled into preparing a plan of action. 

Kunsel was in agreement with Sephiroth, "If Genesis is here, we need to move in and eliminate him. He's a threat to every single SOLDIER here." 

Sephiroth nodded. "The ability to make his copies presents a very grave threat to our men. I need you to keep an eye out for any other men going missing. Infantryman Vector seems to be the bait to lure me and others here." Sephiroth steepled his hands together on the table. "Tomorrow we will get our squads from ShinRa, most likely at dawn. We need to be ready." 

"Yes, sir." Kunsel stood up with the others and saluted. 

Sephiroth dismissed them with a nod. Cloud walked up to his side and put a hand through his hair. "Do you think Nat has been made into a copy?"

"Doubtful. Your friend never received mako and so he can't be made into one." Sephiroth motioned for Cloud to sit down. "We need to discuss your place in the field." 

Cloud nodded as he sat down. "I'm going out there." He said it without even a hint of a question in his tone. 

"I would prefer if you did you stayed behind in the ranks with the other infantry." Sephiroth said, a threat beneath his words. 

"Sir, I won't get in your way. I want you to succeed, but I also take this job seriously. I'm not letting you shove me aside." Cloud argued, knowing he was definitely heading into insubordinate territory. 

Sephiroth leaned forward. The small tables provided for the tents allowed for this lean in to get Sephiroth's face staring straight into Cloud's. "Zack told you, I believe, to not back talk me. If you are by my side when Genesis attacks, you won't survive. You should listen, trust what I am doing. If I have to make it an order, Cloud, I will." 

Their eyes locked, striking blue meeting silver green. They stayed locked in a silent battle of wills, one much longer than Sephiroth was used to. Most people bent to his authority quickly, without even a thought. It took time before Cloud looked away, his hands forming into fists in his lap. "So I'm just supposed to stay behind, pretend like I'm doing something when I'm doing nothing?" 

"You are doing something." Sephiroth sighed and leaned back. "Staying safe will help me focus on what I need to do." 

"I'm supposed to be your guard, not the other way around," Cloud grumbled. 

Sephiroth shook his head. "In this, I lead. I need you to follow. Consider it practice for when you become a SOLDIER." Sephiroth stood up from his chair and headed over to his cot. "We have an early and long day ahead of us. It's time to rest." 

Cloud stood up, and froze. "Wait," he stared at the two cots across from each other in the tent, "we're staying here?" 

"Well, the hotels haven't been constructed yet, so yes." Sephiroth set Masamune to the side. "Where did you think we'd be staying?"

 _That's not what I meant_ , Cloud wanted to say, but the words died in his throat. Swallowing down his disbelief, Cloud walked over to the other cot. He kept his back to Sephiroth as he heard the General take off his coat. Cloud felt his face flame up. He tried not to think about the naked chest surely on display, right there, behind him.  _Snap out of it!_ He took off his own uniform, bit by bit. He unbuckled his shoes first, unlacing them and leaving them off to the side. Then, he took off his shirt and standard pants-. 

"Cloud..." Sephiroth said, the word smooth.

Cloud didn't dare turn completely around, not with his body...not listening to him. He peeked over his shoulder instead. Sephiroth stood in only black sport trunks. Cloud knew his face was deeply scarlet by this point. Sephiroth locked eyes with him for the second time that evening. 

"When you pass SOLDIER, when you ascend to Zack's level, I will be honored to have you by my side." Sephiroth turned away and slipped under his covers. "Sleep well."

Cloud ducked his head down, smiling despite himself. He licked his lips, and almost said 'thank you,' but decided to quit while he was ahead. As he fell asleep, he listened to the sound of the General's breathing, until finally he drifted away.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time:
> 
> Tseng faced Zack with a gun behind his back. "Lieutenant Fair, I need you to come with me." 
> 
> "Why, did someone die?" Zack asked with a stupid grin on his face. 
> 
> Cissinei didn't even blink. "Yes, that's exactly what happened." 
> 
> "What?! Dude, so not guilty! I was planning on dying your coats in my office all day yesterday! I was gonna go lime green." 
> 
> Tseng glared at him. 
> 
> "You really wanna shoot me now, huh?"
> 
> "So very much."


	9. Gearing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I'm terrible, I know. Here's the next chapter. Not a lot of action in this one, but we're getting there.

Genesis and Hollander read through the files, getting more and more confused as they reviewed all the data. Hollander got out a pen and started scratching down notes on a pad. Genesis kept re-reading the part about Jenova and about how something called “Holy Water” that could cure him. He passed those notes back to Hollander and paced. 

Nat had fallen asleep on a cot over in a corner. Genesis had given him a blanket, a thin piece of cloth really, but that was all they had available for “guests.” As much as he hated to admit it, he felt quite indebted to the young man. Without the files he found, Genesis held hope for the first time in so long. 

He cast a glance over to Hollander and noted the scientist beginning to wane as well. “Perhaps you should retire as well,” Genesis suggested. 

“I suppose I should.” Hollander picked up his notes and tucked them under his arm. “I’ll be in my room.” He shuffled away to the hall, yawning behind his hand. 

Genesis cast a glance over to Nat. He couldn’t leave the member of SOLDIER alone. Even though an escape attempt would be more than futile, he didn’t want to chance it regardless. He walked over to a chair and set it at Nat’s bedside. 

Nat murmured something intelligible as he startled awake. “Hey, is it morning yet?”

“No, not for a few hours more.” Genesis sat down and took out his Loveless novel. “Rest.” 

“Alright,” Nat curled up into a ball, “but are you just gonna watch me sleep?” 

“I intend to read.” Genesis opened to Act I. 

“You should expand your literature selection, sir.” Nat said, voice groggy and eyes drifting shut once more. 

“I’ll take that under advisement.” The crimson haired man grumbled out. “And don’t call me ‘sir.’ I’m no one’s general now.” 

Nat murmured, “You’ll always be a general to me, sir, even if you don’t think so…” 

Genesis froze. He looked down at Nat in shock, but found the infantrymen already in dreamland again. Pursing his lips together, Genesis went back to his book. He wouldn’t be plied with pretty words any longer. He killed his past, burned it behind him. There was nothing left for him with ShinRa or anyone a part of it. 

Nothing at all.

~~~

 

Xin sat in the air ship at the front. He cast a glance over the squads, noting most of the Seconds were jumpy and ready for action. He heard about some of these men, that even a couple of them dared to tussle with the General not long ago. They were hoping for redemption, and possibly a chance to finally be in First Class. 

Meanwhile, Xin worried about how Zack was left alone at the ShinRa compound. Technically, as in if Xin really thought about it and didn’t panic with the realization, he was in the running for the Third in Command. Kunsel definitely came before him, but their level of experience was equal. The only definitive difference was that Zack would most likely promote Kunsel over Xin. Most likely, probably, right? 

One of the pilots came over Xin’s comm, “We’re landing! Be ready to go.” Xin secured his belts and barked out order for everyone else to do the same. 

One of the SOLDIERS, a heavy weight lifter fellow who was once the apple of Heidegger’s eye, shouted out to Xin. “Do you think that blond kid is still with the General, sir?” 

“Yeah, I know for a fact he is.” Xin shouted back. 

“For real?!” One of the other Second’s yelled. “But I thought no one could handle the General? Didn’t he blow through like a thousand other guys?” 

Xin smirked. “Yeah, but trust me, none of them are as stubborn as Strife. Don’t get on that kid’s bad side.” 

Heavy weight nodded. “Dude doesn’t mess around, that’s for sure. Knocked out my whole crew with a Confu.” 

One of the other SOLDIER’s sneered. “Whatever, I bet the General’s just keepin’ him around for a good time.” 

Xin pointed to the man. “That’s enough! You will not disrespect Sephiroth in my presence. When we land, you’re running laps!” 

The SOLDIER rolled his eyes but kept silent. To Xin’s surprise, Heavy Weight smacked the other SOLDIER upside the head. 

“Stop being stupid! The General isn’t like that, and that blond kid wouldn’t let him. Trust me, he’s not interested in getting pushed around.” 

Xin raised his brows. He made a mental note to tell Cloud at some point that he was gaining an rather interesting reputation among the troops. 

~~~

Cloud woke up. He groaned and stretched out on his cot. His blanket fell off of him, and Cloud yawned. He wiped a hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes. 

At the table, Sephiroth starred, watching the lithe form of his guard move. His eyes were drawn to the exposed skin of the trooper’s chest, ribs slightly sticking out, housing a nice little six pack. Cloud was right, he didn’t bulk up like other SOLDIERs, but he wore evidence of an athletic lifestyle here and there. 

Sephiroth sipped on his coffee and averted his eyes. He remember the night before, undressing with Cloud right there behind him. He hadn’t realized that Cloud felt so strongly about him, but one look and he knew. He couldn’t stop replaying the moment Cloud’s blushing face turned to look at him, his eyes alight with something between hope and fear. 

The trooper got out of his flimsy bed, putting on his uniform with a scrunched up face. Sephiroth huffed in amusement. Strife definitely wasn’t used to a combat lifestyle. 

“We’ll be heading out soon. I’ve just received word the squads are landing.” Sephiroth informed him. 

Cloud put his shirt on, his face erupting in a dust of a blush. “Copy that. Any coffee left for me?” The blond put a hand through his hair, a gigantic mess of spikes sticking every which way. 

“Yes, and protein bars for breakfast,” Sephiroth said. 

“Yay, healthy bricks,” Cloud said in a deadpan. He walked over to the table sans boots. “But thank you, sir.” 

The General watched Cloud sit down across from him and munch on his breakfast. He considered what Xin told him, about Cloud caring about someone. Sephiroth wondered if keeping Cloud as his guard would be cruel, somehow, always having the object of his affection right there at arm’s length but never able to have him. He found he didn’t want harm to come to Strife, whether it be on or off the battlefield. 

He shoved those thoughts aside for a moment. He bent over to open a bag and take out an earpiece. He extended it out to Cloud, and the blond took it in hand with a perplexed expression. 

“I can’t have you right there with me, but I want you to have a direct line.” Sephiroth picked up the earpiece’s companion and put it inside his ear canal. Cloud did the same. “Kunsel will relay all information through to Xin, who will be with me when I go to confront Genesis.” 

“Really? Xin is coming?” Cloud made a half amused, half chagrined face. “Well, I guess that makes since. You didn’t want Zack in the line of fire.” 

“I don’t want anyone there at all if I can help it. Genesis and I regularly ruined our sparring locations, and that was done in good sport. This time…” Sephiroth tightened his hold on his mug. “It will be more intense.” 

Cloud glanced up at him, his eyes soft. “Sir, I know it won’t be easy dealing with him, but you really don’t have to do it alone. Xin is a bit of, uh, a flirt, but he gets the job done. You’ve got a bunch of Seconds at your command. And us infantry might not have mako pumping through our veins, but we’re loyal. We’ve got your back.” 

Sephiroth allowed himself a small smile. “Thank you, but if I can avoid it, I would rather not have anyone else die because of Genesis and his feud with ShinRa.” 

Cloud nodded. He finished up his other bar and then stood up. “If you can bring back Nat, I would greatly appreciate it.” A beep on Cloud’s PHS made him jump. “Who could that be?” The trooper took out his phone and read the newest message, from Lane. 

_ Dude, we need to talk. I hear you’re with Sephiroth. He needs to know something.  _

Cloud stared at the message, brow furrowed. What could Lane know that was so important? Cloud flipped his phone shut and put it in his pocket. 

"Is it from Trooper Vector?" Sephiroth asked, voice soft. 

"No, it's from someone else, but it's weird." Cloud grabbed his boots and shoved his feet into them. "I've got to go meet with him. He says he's got something important to tell me." 

Sephiroth nodded. "Very well, I'll be gearing up here for the next half hour. Return within that time." 

"Yes, sir," Cloud gave a sharp salute before heading out the tent. 

~~~

ShinRa HQ was boring. Besides the morning incident, anyway. The President was hopping mad about his personal helicopter being commandeered. He’d called Zack into his office to yell at his face for a solid half hour, while Zack managed by some miracle to keep a straight face (until he could escape and bust a gut in the privacy of a men’s bathroom). Lazard had called him up to say all of two words about the incident, “Good show.” And then he proceeded to tell Zack that other SOLDIERs were on standby to be shipped off.

Zack sat at his desk and drummed his fingers. After he saw Xin and the squads off, he had nothing left to do but file paperwork.  He was just about to leave to go train when Tseng and Cissinei walked in. They had on their tight faces, which meant that Zack was in trouble. 

Tseng faced Zack with a gun behind his back. "Lieutenant Fair, I need you to come with me." 

"Why, did someone die?" Zack asked with a stupid grin on his face. 

Cissinei didn't even blink. "Yes, that's exactly what happened." 

"What?! Dude, so not guilty! I was planning on dying your coats in my office all day yesterday! I was gonna go lime green."  

Tseng glared at him. 

"You really wanna shoot me now, huh?"

"So very much." 

Zack kept his grin on his face, but he didn’t move. People who went with the Turks usually didn’t come back for a long time, if they came back at all. Tseng shifted his stance, getting ready to aim and threaten. 

Cissinei got between Tseng and Zack. “We need to ask you a few questions, and check where your keycard is.” 

Zack pulled out his keycard from his pocket. “It’s right here, duh.” He handed it over to her. “Who died? Was it one of my men?” He cringed to think about someone going ballistic and killing a fellow SOLDIER but it happened every once and awhile. 

“Not quite.” Tseng said, “All we can tell you at this point is that it required a high level of clearance to access that person.” 

Zack shrugged. “Well, alright, but like I said I was in my office most of yesterday. You can check the security feed out in the hall. I haven’t killed anyone in…” Zack counted off on his fingers. “About ten days. I had to put down some terrorist plot and killed two people.” 

Cissinei turned to give Tseng a small nod. “I was on that mission. He’s right.” She brought out a bulky card slider and whipped Zack’s keycard through it. “And the card says that he wasn’t the one who opened the doors.” Cissinei handed it back to Zack. 

Tseng put his gun back in its holster in the small of his back. “Very well, you’re on the bottom of the list for now. Needless to say, please keep our talk classified.” 

“Of course, wouldn’t want anyone in a panic.” Zack said, amicable with a hard edge. 

Tseng nodded and walked out of the room. Cissinei waved goodbye with a small smile. Zack sighed and wiped a hand over his face. He went through his head about who the Turks would get all pissy about dying, and the numbers were few. He’d already seen the President and his son this very morning, which meant the other board members most likely. The Lieutenant glared down at his desk. First Genesis shows up at Wutai, then someone high up gets assassinated, none of it sounded like a coincidence. He couldn’t look into any of it without raising suspicion, so he’d just have to sit on it. 

Zack put a hand through his hair and groaned. “Man, I hate waiting.” 

~~~

Waking up to screaming in his head wasn’t exactly how Vincent Valentine thought his self-imposed exile would end. Nonetheless, he left his crypt beneath the ShinRa mansion to follow those screams to the Nibelheim reactor. There, SOLDIERs were burning tubes with some creatures inside. They blew open a door, and discovered Jenova. Vincent stayed in the shadows, watching carefully as the men took her down and cut her apart. 

A few military scientists aided them, flipping through pages and ordering the SOLDIERs to take turns being around her. Vincent noticed how the men’s eyes would sometimes glaze over, as if they were hypnotized, but then the recovery team would come in and they would snap out of it. Over and over again, for hours, the ShinRa team worked hard at getting all of Jenova broken down.

When it was all done, the SOLDIERs left charges at stability points, and put on a timer for four hours. They all left, carrying the last of Jenova with them in boxes. Vincent found himself curious, and followed them into town. There, the SOLDIERs got the villagers moving into trucks, evacuating them in a timely manner. In three hours, the small mountain hamlet was empty. Unsure of what to do, Vincent stashed away in a cargo truck. Soon, nothing would be left of the town and that horrid place. It would be best to go with them wherever they were headed. 

~~~

Tifa sat between her father and Zangan. Her father brought with him all the information about the town and its inhabitants, along with many other important papers. Zangan only brought a small pack full of some essential clothes. Tifa brought along the one picture left of her mother and essentials as well.  

She looked over at Miss Strife down near the hatch. Cloud’s mom had been nervous about leaving, but she made sure to grab two bags, one of her personal belongings and one of Cloud’s. She’d been very sweet to Tifa ever since Cloud left, giving her cookies and always ready to give a kind ear when the girl had issues with her father. Tifa had helped her pack her bags, and even threw in one of Cloud’s favorite posters of Sephiroth into her own bag. She wanted to give it as a gift when she saw him next. Tifa clutched onto her bag like a lifeline, and wondered what was going to happen next.

The answer came in a cacophony of sound. The trucks shook beneath them and people cried out. Miss Strife gasped and half stood as she gazed out over at the mountain. 

“Sweet Shiva, it’s exploded!” She put a hand over her mouth and turned to talk to Mayor Lockhart. “It must’ve went into meltdown.” 

Tifa felt her chest clench and her stomach lurch. Meltdown meant their entire home wasn’t safe, and it wouldn’t be safe for a very long time. She bent over, putting her head between her legs, listening to her father ask Miss Strife is she was sure. Other villagers confirmed, it was definitely their reactor, and it was up in smoke. 

“Tifa?” Zangan rubbed her back. “It’s alright, child. We’re together, and that is what matters.” 

Tifa felt a soft hand rub the top of her head. “He’s right, dear.” Tifa glanced up to find Miss Strife on her knees in front of her. “We’re all alive, and we’re going somewhere safe.” 

“I hate ShinRa,” Tifa finally said, miserable. “I hate them. We didn’t even need that reactor, it didn’t work half the time, and they never bothered to fix it. I hate them!” She burst into tears, sobbed at the loss of her home. 

Her father hushed her, “I know you’re upset, but be careful. They hold our lives in their hands, Tifa. We can’t afford to anger them.” He pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’ll do my best to get our home back someday, but for now...honey, we’ll just have to be strong.” 

Tifa shook and trembled in her father’s arms. She lost so much in an instant. How could she be strong? 

~~~

Tseng hated having no leads. Everyone who had access to the labs was accounted for, and none of them were near the labs when Hojo was shot. Reno and Rude stood in front of his desk, both of them finally out of the infirmary. Cissinei was checking in on Aerith Gainsborough, meanwhile Shotgun was checking in on Veld and his daughter. 

“I’m bringing you two into the Hojo situation.” Tseng told them. He briefed the both of them on how he and Cissinei found the Professor, and how all the upper echelons of ShinRa have managed to make themselves look squeaky clean. “Any ideas are welcome at this juncture,” Tseng finished with a huff. 

Reno shrugged his shoulders. “A lot of people wanted him dead, yo. Could somebody have just broken in somehow?” 

“Not likely,” Tseng said. “Hojo was very paranoid. He changed his access codes on the hour within the ShinRa system. It most likely had to be an inside job.” 

Rude hmmed. Reno and Tseng stared at him. Reno narrowed his eyes at his partner. “Hmmm, what? What do you know? Spit it out.”

Rude fiddled with his sunglasses. “I’ve been told that air vents from certain levels lead from the top floors to the bottom. Somebody could use those.” 

Tseng stood up and walked towards the door without saying anything. Reno shook his head at Rude and sighed. “I’m so disappointed in you partner. We coulda been prankin’ Hojo this whole damn time!” 

Rude grunted, his version of ‘Yeah, I know.’ 

All three of them ended up at Lucy’s desk, making her more than a little nervous. 

“Can I help all of you tall, dark and terrifying men?” She asked, leaning back and trying to roll away in her chair. 

“We need a blueprint schematic of the ventilation systems in the building,” Tseng ordered.

“Which ones, the new vents or the old vents?” Lucy asked, stopping her escape. 

“Why are there two?” Reno asked throwing his hands in the air. “And why did nobody tell me about them?!” 

Lucy stood up and motioned for them to follow her. “Back in the day, the building went through two remodels. See, the first time the President was trying to be cheap and didn’t pay enough for proper ventilation. When a bunch of people passed out due to fumes, he changed his tune and finally paid for it. But the old vents were not properly closed up.” She went into her huge file room, a wonderful systematic marvel that housed every archive for ShinRa up until the digital age. 

She took them to the back and opened up a cabinet. “Here,” she brought out three tubes and handed them to Tseng. “You’ll need a magnifying glass and a table. It takes forever to read them, but you’ll find what you’re looking for eventually.” 

Tseng handed one to Reno and one to Rude. “Thank you for your assistance. Please keep our little visit confidential.” 

“Of course,” Lucy gave them a big smile, “I’m a great secret keeper.”

“I bet you are,” Reno gave a look up and down and cocked out a hip. “Say, you wanna look over these plans with me? I know a real sturdy table-.” 

“Reno,” Tseng and Rude groaned. 

~~~

Lane stood at his post. He held onto his weapon in a death grip, his eyes roaming over the camp. The kill order for the General wasn't in effect, and he knew that, logically. Not so logically, he also knew that when ShinRa wanted someone dead they tended to go about it in shady ways. He kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting someone to know that he knew what was up, but everyone seemed to be going about their day without any changes in routine. 

Lane sighed, and tried to roll the suspicions off his shoulders. He heard footsteps coming his way and tensed. He spun to see Cloud trotting up to him. 

"Hey Lane, you ok?" Cloud slowed down to a stop arm's length away. "What's wrong?" 

Lane check the area around them as he got in close. "Word is that you're the new bodyguard for the General. That true?" 

"Well, yeah," Cloud said, frowning in concern. "Why?" 

"Look, Nat and I, we found something, and now Genesis knows about it, too. Just, fuck." Lane shook his head, wiped a hand over his face. "We found these sealed files in Kunsel's tent. I don't think he even looked at them yet, but Cloud, man, they were full of secrets. But the most important part? They, Shiva I don't even want to say it, but ShinRa is planning for us to take out Sephiroth after this so-called mission is done." 

Cloud sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide. He shook his head, disbelieving. "That can't be right. Why would they be so adamant about hiring a guard? I just got signed on. It doesn't make any sense." 

"I don't know, man, I really fucking don't." Lane slapped a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Look, keep your eyes and ears open. Don't trust anyone. Something's going really wrong, really fast." 

Cloud gulped, nodded. "Right." He stepped back and put a hand through his hair. "I'll tell him. He needs to know. But...besides us, yeah, we should keep it under wraps." 

"For sure." Lane flicked his eyes around the camp, noticing eyes on them. "Go back. Tell him. Be careful." 

Cloud turned and left, shoulders tense as he walked through the camp. Lane let out a small breath. He felt better now that someone else shared his paranoia. Hopefully, between him and Cloud, their General wold make it out of this alive. 

~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time:
> 
> Sephiroth stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at his once friend. Genesis looked terrible, for him. Pale skin, grey streaks in his hair, and even faint lines of age around his mouth and eyes. It was like he aged ten years in the span of a month. And yet, Sephiroth had no doubt he'd still be a match for him when they drew swords. 
> 
> "Where is Vector?"


	10. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to face the past: Genesis vs. Sephiroth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! *ducks behind a desk* I know, I know, I'm a terrible person for leaving the work incomplete for this long. I was locked out of my account for awhile, and then life happened. But good news! The story is actually only about five chapters away from being finished, and I intend to finish it within the next week. Please enjoy!

Cloud told Sephiroth as soon as he got back to the tent.  Sephiroth couldn’t say he felt terribly surprised by the news. ShinRa never liked that he’d developed a personality of sorts, despite both ShinRa and Hojo’s best efforts to the contrary. He followed orders, but rebelled consistently by turning the system’s rules against them. He was strong, but uncontrollable, by ShinRa standards. 

The General paced back and forth in the tent, mulling over the next step to take with that information. 

“You’re sure those orders weren’t handed out?” Sephiroth asked. 

Cloud shook his head. “Lane said it was just me and him for now. But since Nat knew, let’s assume that Genesis knows it too.”

“It doesn’t make any sense in terms of timing. I could understand coming for me in Wutai, making it look like an accident, understandable. But my own SOLDIERs? The risk of them refusing, the risk of bringing them out here under Wutai’s nose? This plan isn’t very well thought out, or I’m missing something.” Sephiroth’s brow furrowed in thought. What would eliminating him now gain ShinRa? He spoke with the President and his spoiled son Rufus recently, neither seemed particularly gleeful or boasting about him. They couldn’t keep a secret like that. Sephiroth wondered where the order came from, why they would even want it. None of it made sense. 

He shook his head, sending his long tresses swishing back and forth over his shoulders. Sephiroth sighed, and waved his hand dismissively. “Taking time to solve this mystery is more than we have. I must go confront Genesis, who will no doubt try to use this against us, somehow.” 

“Sir,” Cloud said as he brought a hand up to touch his ear. “If he does, I can’t promise I won’t say something.”

“That’s fine, please do.” Sephiroth cast a glance to the side, avoiding eye contact. “I will not lie, Genesis does have a way about him that both infuriates me, but...He was a First Class SOLDIER, one of my few...equals.” He brought his hand up to hold onto the hilt of his sword. 

Cloud walked up close to him. “He gets under your skin, huh?”

“Something to that effect,” Sephiroth confessed. 

“Screw it then, I’ll just talk your ear off.” Cloud said, his face setting into that determined look that Sephiroth recognized as the I-will-not-be-moved attitude. “I’m supposed to be your guard, so that means I gotta guard you from Genesis being a dick, I’m game.”

A chuckle escaped Sephiroth before he could stop it. “I feel safer already.”

“Laugh all you want, sir, I’m not gonna slack on this.” Cloud got in closer, a bit too close for Sephiroth’s comfort. “I want you back, safe and sound, just as much as I want Nat back. Genesis isn’t going to get into your head, not while I’m there, and I can stop it.” 

Sephiroth blinked, taken aback. He knew that Cloud cared, but somehow it came as a surprise to hear him be so honest about it. Apparently, Cloud realized he’d revealed a bit too much, as a blush suddenly spread out over his cheeks. 

“Permission to get the radio set up, sir.” Cloud said, snapping into a ready stance.

“Granted.” Sephiroth said, allowing Cloud to run away and gather supplies. 

~~~

Sephiroth headed out into the Wutai wilderness with a contingent of troops and a ball of unwanted emotions rolling in his chest. He tried to focus on fighting an enemy, a danger to his men, not the past friend who betrayed him. No, he couldn’t afford to sink into that whole mess. Best to remember that when Angeal and Genesis flew off, they never even bothered to tell him goodbye. 

The General of ShinRa trampled over brush, his long legs accustomed to long treks. The others fell in place behind him, ready with arms at their sides. Xin stayed behind, off to the left, where normally Zack would be rambling on and on about his favorite woman in the world, or his favorite meal in the world, or some other favored thing. The quiet was welcoming, as it gave him ample chance to hear an attack incoming. 

“Sir, is Cloud really alright being left behind?” Xin asked, his voice a mere whisper on the wind.

A long pause, and then Sephiroth admitted, “More like resigned to his post back at base.” 

“Hmmm, trouble in paradise?” Xin teased, though his hand stayed on the hilt of his favored long sword. 

Sephiroth didn’t respond, even though Xin wasn’t far off the mark. Cloud had once again voiced protests and frustration at being left behind, to wit Sephiroth once again reiterated his side of the argument. Eventually, the bodyguard agreed to stay with the camp, but on one condition. 

And on that thought, Sephiroth fiddled gently with the mic in his ear. On his hip was a radio attached to his pants, a signal only meant for Cloud and his own radio set. The blond was hearing every word, and most likely embarrassed-. 

_ “Tell him it’s nothing you can’t handle.”  _ Cloud’s voice crackled a little over the line.  _ “And that what he’s implying is a felony in most prefectures.”  _

Sephiroth turned to Xin. “Strife wouldn’t take kindly to your insinuations.” 

“I wish he would.” Xin said, a wistful undertone in his words. “He’s one of a kind, that one.” 

Sephiroth heard Cloud choke on the other side of the line before the transmission abruptly cut out. “Now is not the time for romantic entanglements and talks thereof.” 

“Yes, sir, but really? You’re not interested?” Xin asked, cautious. 

The jungle around them suddenly felt oppressive. Sephiroth searched the treeline looking for enemies, but found none. He chalked it up to pre-battle awareness. “It’s not a matter of wanting. It would be ruining the protocols I expect every one of my SOLDIERs to adhere to.” 

“That’s not a yes or no, sir.” Xin trotted up to his side, speaking in even more hushed tones. “I’ll just go ahead and say, I think he likes you. I mean, we all do, but I think he’s been hanging around better because even though he’s seen your prickly side, he still likes you. And that’s kind of something, uh, no offense.” 

“None taken.” Sephiroth deadpanned. 

In his ear, Cloud grumbled,  _ “Permission to murder the idiot, sir.” _

Sephiroth fought the small smile that threatened to clash with his stone-faced mask. He needed to focus, stay alert for any signs of-.

A black feather fluttered down into view. 

Quick as lightning, he pushed up into the air. He whirled around, only to find a man with a single black wing flying off towards the west. When he dropped back down, Sephiroth commanded, “Everyone, follow me!” 

He ran through the jungle ahead of his contingent, but not so fast as for them to lose sight of him. If he came across Genesis, he wanted to clash with him first and leave the others to give supporting fire only. Eventually, Sephiroth came to a clearing before a building, an obviously abandoned structure from the Wutai War.

At the doorway stood Genesis.  Sephiroth stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at his once friend. Genesis looked terrible, for him. Pale skin, grey streaks in his hair, and even faint lines of age around his mouth and eyes. It was like he aged ten years in the span of a month. And yet, Sephiroth had no doubt he'd still be a match for him when they drew swords.

"Where is Vector?"

“He’s inside, with Hollander.” Genesis said without much fanfare, surprisingly. “He brought some interesting news to us. I think you’d like to hear it.” 

“Oh? Do tell? We have all of five minutes. Make it succinct.” Sephiroth unsheathed Masamune, ready to battle at the end of the time limit. 

“ShinRa is ready to kill you, old friend.” Genesis informed him, holding up a folder. “I have the orders here. These SOLDIERs work on confidential orders they’re not even aware of yet to kill you like a dog. So, for the sake of old times, I ask you: Sephiroth will you join me? Will you aid me in taking down ShinRa?”

Remember, he reminded himself, you’re on a mission. Even though Genesis finally said the words, the words he’d been hoping to hear, the words no one asked him before they left him behind-focus. Already knowing that ShinRa wanted him dead helped, and for once he had the upper hand in getting a step ahead of Genesis.  

But instead of saying he knew, what he said, “You ask me now, but not before.” His tone hardened, his hand clenching tight around the hilt of his blade. “You left me behind, not a word, not a single explanation.” 

“Don’t take it so personal, Sephiroth.” Genesis said, a teasing lit to his tone. He brought a hand up comb through his hair. “I needed some time to adjust.”

A sudden explosive voice in his ear proclaimed,  _ “Months of adjusting?! Please, that’s a new one. General, take him out! Don’t let him talk you into a fight. Use your sword instead!” _

Genesis glared at him, his sensitive hearing picking up every word. “And who is that?” 

“My voice of reason.” Sephiroth flashed forward to swing his sword. Genesis blocked it with his rapier just in time. “He’s rather good at keeping me on task.” 

“Oh?” A flash of annoyance in Genesis’ eyes was wonderful to see. “Playing with the riff-raff now, Sephiroth?” 

“At least they are loyal.” Sephiroth snapped back. 

Genesis bared his teeth and pushed forward. He lashed out in a series of upper and lower hard cuts, finishing up in a figure eight. Sephiroth blocked the attack quick, responding by bringing his sword down and up under Genesis’ guard. He got a hit! Along the left arm, not enough to debilitate, but it was something. 

It helped that Genesis was slower than before, falling back into the building under a barrage of Sephiroth’s hits. Sephiroth leapt up along the wall to try and hit him along the face, but Genesis rolled back to dodge. Swords clanged again as they came back on the ground. Genesis sliced open a wall to escape into a room full of empty mako containers. He kicked up one and hit it towards his nemesis.

Sephiroth easily sliced through it, throwing his form in the middle of the two parts, dashing forward to hit Genesis on the other arm. Genesis cried out in pain, the cut deep on his sword arm. Sephiroth was determined to bring him back to base. 

He heard the sound of his troops breaking into the hallway. Xin was shouting orders, getting everyone to Nat Vector and Hollander. Sephiroth quickly equipped a materia, and shot out Lightning at Genesis. A shield spell came up quick enough to stop it, dissipating the Lightning around the room. Sephiroth dodged a current of light and moved back. 

Genesis charged forward with a growl. He was furious and hurt, which meant he’d get sloppy. Sure enough, he added a fire spell to his sword, swinging wildly. Sephiroth kept his sword in defense, pushing off each hit, waiting for the right moment to strike. When Genesis swung back his sword behind his head for a strong overhead slash, Sephiroth slid into the opening to slam Genesis’ face in with his hilted fist. 

The crimson man crumpled, groaning in pain. Sephiroth brought his foot up to kick him in the temple. Genesis crashed into the floor. No doubt, he’d wake up shocked and somewhat  _ offended _ that Sephiroth had resorted to something so  _ basic _ to defeat him. For some reason, it just seemed...appropriate. 

Sephiroth brought his hand up to check if his earpiece was still in. “Cloud, he’s down. The troops are getting Vector and Hollander. We should return shortly.”

_ “Oh thank Shiva, sir, listening to that was the worst.”  _ Cloud sounded breathless, like he’d been in the fight with Sephiroth.  _ “Tell me when you’ve seen Nat, that he’s ok, I mean. Please.” _

“I will,” Sephiroth sheathed Masamune. Kneeling down, he threw out a Sleep spell to keep Genesis under. As he was picking the unconscious man up and flinging him over his shoulder, Sephiroth heard three pop, pop, pops of gunshots echoing from down the hall. 

~~~

Xin swung his sword and easily knocked aside the revolver bullets with his mako enhanced speed. “Knock it off, Hollander! The jig is up.” 

Hollander was standing near his desk, holding Infantryman Vector with one hand, waving a revolver around with the other. Vector looked pissed, but without mako in his system he might not survive a bullet if he fought with his captor. 

“I’ll never return to ShinRa!” Hollander proclaimed. “They didn’t appreciate my genius! That damn Hojo was always in the way!” 

“Sir, I don’t give a flying fuck about your science department. Just hand over that SOLDIER and we’re out of here. We’ll even let you go, whad’daya say?” Xin kept his sword down, ready to defend but not trying to be threatening. 

“Never!” Hollander put the gun to the boy’s head. “New negotiation, let me leave with my hostage or I’ll blow his brains all over the-.” 

Before he could get out his cliche, Nat ducked under the barrel. He squeezed and twisted Hollander’s wrist until it snapped, making the man scream in agony. The gun clattered to the ground, and the troops ambushed the two. Xin pulled Vector away while two other SOLDIERS grabbed Hollander by each arm to drag him towards the door. 

“Good job there, bud.” Xin said, clasping the hostage’s shoulder. “Not many people can think on their feet with a gun to their head.”

“Thanks, but where’s Genesis? Did Sephiroth get him?” Vector looked around the room, suddenly frantic. “Oh, no. The folder.”

“What folder?” Xin asked, confused.

“It’s…” Vector clacked his teeth together. “It’s nothing, it’s not important.” He turned back to the door.

Xin squinted at the Infantryman’s retreating back. A few of the other troops came up to tell him they were glad to find him. A folder, huh? Xin looked back over at Hollander’s desk. No folder, just a bunch of scribbled out notes. Trusting his gut, he walked over while motioning to another Second Class.

“Hey, let’s collect this stuff for intel.” He ordered casually. They quickly piled everything together and put it into the Second Class SOLDIER’s bag. Xin didn’t really get most of what he scanned over in the collection process, just a few names like ‘Sephiroth’ and ‘Experiment-G’ caught his eye, the rest didn’t make much sense. What the hell was a Jenova? And what kind of name was Valentine?

~~~

Everyone was taken to an area near a chocobo farm. There, ShinRa was already setting up refugee tents and supplies. Vincent Valentine slunk through the shadows, going from one truck to another. He listened as the SOLDIERs complained about unloading everything, some of them talking about hitting on the most attractive girls, and then finally he heard the whispers of Jenova in his head in a far away truck. 

It was different from the others, a thick metal tankard somehow customized to become a truck. A few SOLDIERs stood around it, mumbling with clipboards with science staff all mingling together. Vincent moved through the shade of the trees until he was under the vehicle. One of the female lead scientists was in the middle of an explanation, “...and according to our orders, as soon as we get these Jenova samples used for this new experiment, then we’re just going to incinerate the whole thing. My concern is, if we’re taking turns driving the truck, but we’re still in the truck close to Jenova, we could be adversely affected.” 

“True, I guess you’ve got a point there,” said a male SOLDIER next to her. “They’re going to need those other trucks for more supplies though, so what do you think we should do?”

“Well, I was thinking maybe pay the ranchers for a few chocobos. At the very least, I hope they’d consider just leasing them to us for a trip to Midgar and back.” 

“Not a bad idea, sure.” 

Vincent listened to them figure out the logistics of the driving problems. Nothing important, so he scanned around, and noted the bombs all placed underneath the huge truck. None of them were armed, but he knew they were intended to eliminate the whole thing, possibly as just a security measure. A lot of security being placed on transporting her, and it was odd they were moving her at all. What was Hojo plotting now?

“When we get back to Midgar,” one of the SOLDIERs said, “do you think Sephiroth should be given a report?”

“No, it says no reports. Top clearance, we don’t even know who we’ve been given orders from; it’s double blind. No trace of us having done it, which means after we drop off the package, we never speak of it again. Some other grunts will take these people to the Midgar slums, and they’ll all just be a bunch of displaced refugees of a reactor meltdown. We were the good guys, end of story.” 

Valentine frowned as he listened to the breakdown of the mission. Hojo loved his name being on his handy work, he would’ve demanded reports about his precious Project-J. And Sephiroth...Lucrecia’s son, alive. His thoughts derailed for a moment, thinking of the child, surely now an adult. What had ShinRa force him to become? 

No matter what, he needed to get to Midgar. He would kill Hojo, destroy Jenova, and find a way to get Sephiroth out of the claws of that villainous ShinRa. He didn’t deserve forgiveness, and he could never have redemption. But he could do something for the son of Lucrecia, at least. 

~~~

Cloud ran out from the tent when Sephiroth told him they were just outside the perimeter. He didn’t stop running until he saw Nat walking towards camp, head drooped and looking exhausted. When he saw Cloud coming up, he smiled and opened his arms as Cloud slammed into him with a barrel hug. 

“Whoa, hey, nice to see you too.” Nat said, and Cloud didn’t let go. He remembered being awkward the last time they’d seen each other. How stupid he’d been. “Cloud, I’m ok.”

“I’m sorry,” Cloud said as he stepped back. “If I’d just figured out your first text sooner, you wouldn’t have been taken. I messed up.”

“No, no, dude you got the big man himself to come for me. That’s awesome!”

“Cloud,” Sephiroth said, “the earpiece is still in.” 

“Oh!” Cloud immediately took it out and pressed the off button. “Sorry General, I was just-.”

“It’s fine. I’m taking Genesis to be processed. We’ll be needing to keep him under until we get to Midgar.” Sephiroth moved forward, ignoring everyone stopping to salute him on the way towards the medical tent. 

Suddenly, Lane came running around from the left to knock Nat down with a bear hug. “Fuck yes, you’re alive!” 

Xin came up to the three with a big laugh. “Jeeze, I wonder if you guys are friends or something?”

“It’s called camaraderie, you’d know it if you weren’t trying to get laid more than make friends.” Cloud snapped back. 

“You lovely sassy thing, let’s skip the dating nonsense and just get married!” Xin said, putting an arm over Cloud’s shoulders. 

“Not for all the tax breaks on Gaia, sir.” Cloud shrugged the arm off and helped Nat up. Lane gripped them both on their shoulders and jerked his head toward the medical tent. Cloud and Nat nodded and they headed off.

“Hey, where are you all going?” Xin asked, befuddled. 

All three of them turned to look at each other before Cloud said, “Debriefing with the General.” And then all three trotted off. 

Xin put his hands on his hips and frowned. “Since when do you need three people for that?” 

~~~

Sephiroth watched with a detached expression as the medics pumped Genesis with enough meds to put him under for the ride back. The iron shackles were made for SOLDIER Second Class, but between the meds and Sephiroth using a Sleep spell halfway through the helicopter ride, he’d stay down and out. 

The tent flap sound alerted him to Cloud and company coming in. He recognized Vector, but the other one he didn’t. Cloud came up to him and said, “Sir, we need to, uh, debrief.”

Sephiroth nodded. “Back to our tent. Vector and…?”

“Trooper Lane, sir.”

“Lane can also tag along.” Sephiroth walked out with them in long strides. He felt on edge still, as if he was still in battle. It reminded him too much of the Wutai War, needing to continual plan and strategize for the next attack. And there would be one, coming directly from ShinRa. It made him hyper aware of the people around him, his mind calculating the odds of an entire camp coming at him. Full of Second and Third Class, the odds weren’t in his favor for a win, but he could flee faster than they could keep up.

He hated the thought of it, of his own troops turning on him. As he stomped towards the tent, he felt at least a semblance of comfort with Cloud behind him. At the very least, he’d get a cry of warning from his bodyguard. The thought of Cloud dying for him...didn’t sit well. 

As he entered the tent, it suddenly occurred to him it was  _ Cloud _ now. Not Strife, not Trooper, just Cloud. He walked over to the table in the tent, setting down his earpiece and radio. Cloud walked over and did the same. He stood in front of him with a small frown on his features. 

“Sir, Nat and Lane were the ones who found out about all the orders,” Cloud said. 

“I would have the proof, but they were in a folder.” Trooper Vector said with a scrunched up face. “I don’t know where it could’ve gone, it was supposed to be on Hollander’s desk.”

“I have it.” Sephiroth responded, taking out a manila envelope out of his coat. “Genesis took it to wave its contents in my face in a taunt.” He slapped it down on the table and opened it up. “What is...Project J?” 

“It’s so, so freakin’ complicated.” Trooper Lane said with a groan. 

“Oh you don’t know the half of it!” Vector said, “Dude, Hollander was making notes upon notes about this stuff, but so much of it still didn’t make sense.”

“Troops,” Sephiroth cut in.

“Ah, sorry,” Vector snapped to attention. “Project J is Jenova, a...well, she’s an alien sir. And you’ve kind of got her DNA inside of you? Your mom, some scientist lady named Lucrecia Crescent, she let Hojo put the Jenova cells in her baby, that baby being you. You’re called Project S, just FYI.”

Sephiroth blinked. Alien DNA? He looked down at the files, flipping through quickly. The files all confirmed what he said, but so much of it looked in disarray. It’s was as if someone had typed up the longest train of thought forms, not really putting everything down in order of priority or important. Only the kill order and the Mako Plant breakdowns looked cohesive and up to standard protocol. 

“Professor Hojo always told me Jenova was my mother, a woman who died in childbirth I presumed.” Sephiroth said, musing over his strange origins. “I never really thought too far into it, assuming the mako levels in my system caused most of my DNA structure changes. Using alien DNA would definitely explain a few things.”

“But you’re still human,” Troop Vector said, sounding very sure about that, “mostly, they just added her into the mix. But anyway, Jenova is bad news. Hojo thought she was some kind of Ancient, but she’s not. She’s some kind of world destroyer. She wants to infect and ruin Gaia, according to this file.”

Cloud put his hands up in stopping motion. “Pause, pause. Let’s focus. ShinRa wants Sephiroth dead, why? If they’ve known about all this stuff from the get go, why do they want him dead now?” 

“Good question.” Trooper Lane scratched at the back of his neck. “I mean, I wouldn’t take that order. Genesis killed a bunch of us and made copies, so screw him, but Sephiroth is the General. How do they expect us to just follow that order?”

“Ditto for me.” Trooper Vector said, “But maybe they’re cleaning the whole slate? I mean, Angeal left, Genesis left, maybe they’re just being safe and getting rid of all the First Class?”

Everyone paused at that. It made a lot of sense, even Sephiroth had to admit. If two out of the three experiments went wrong, the odds were good that eventually Sephiroth would defect as well. Besides, from the folder, it seemed he was doomed to fall to Jenova’s influence, and possibly destroy the world. Well, perhaps ShinRa had good cause to eliminate him. But why not just get rid of Jenova? Wouldn’t that solve all the problems?

“I need to return to Midgar with Genesis,” Sephiroth said. 

“Sir, are you sure you want to do that?” Cloud asked, grimly pointing to the folder. “With these orders, they had to come from high up. You could be walking into a trap.”

“I can’t simply stay on Wutai lands, either. Their King won’t be pleased that I’ve returned, even if it is to grab up a threat to his own people.” Sephiroth closed the folder and passed it to Cloud. “Put this in your gear. If ShinRa comes for these papers, burn them.”

“Yes, sir.” Cloud took them in hand and moved over to his cot. 

Trooper Vector said, “Not for nothin’, sir, but if Genesis’ degradation can be stopped by something called ‘Holy Water’ it says in the files. If you want, I mean, I know he’s a traitor and all, but, yeah. It’s something to look for if you felt like not letting him die.” 

Sephiroth waved a hand dismissively. “I saw, only an Ancient can make such a thing. We have no Ancients left. They’re long dead. Genesis is doomed to rot.” He gave Vector a once over. “You weren’t injured?”

“Nah, Hollander put a gun to my head, desperate last move sort of thing. He’s the one with a broken wrist and a sore attitude right now.” Trooper Vector saluted him. “Unless you need anything else, sir?”

“No. Needless to say, keep all of this to yourselves. If you don’t, you risk becoming just as much a target of ShinRa as I am. Dismissed.” 

The troopers both gave a quick salute before heading out of the tent. Cloud just finished zipping up his bag when Sephiroth went over to him. 

“Thank you for bringing him back, sir.” Cloud said as he stood up to face the General. “He’s a good guy, thickheaded and stubborn but good.”

“I noticed.” Sephiroth put a hand on Cloud’s shoulder. “And thank you, for talking me out of Genesis’ sway.” He squeezed before letting go, opting to ignore the slight blush on Cloud’s face. He snapped Masamune off his hip, putting the sword off to the side of his cot.

“Man, does that guy love the sound of his own voice or what?” Cloud shook his head. “We ran into each other once, I got my ass handed to me. Wasn’t my best moment. That was the mission I met Zack. Kind of glad I got to see him get taken out.” 

Sephiroth nodded as he sat down on the bed. “He’s always been a bit theatrical, both on and off the battlefield. I believe the term Angeal would often use was ‘drama queen.’” He flipped grabbed at his PHS on the bed and flipped it open. 

_ Seph, Turks came by today to ask me about a murder. Wouldn’t say who died. They looked at my key card and everything. Gotta be high level if they’re lookin’ at me. Got any ideas? _

Sephiroth froze. He recalled Tseng coming by, asking if he’d seen the Professor. He’d tried to make it so casual…

“Fuck.” 

He won a battle, but he knew with certainty, the war wasn't over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: 
> 
> Sephiroth said, keeping his voice calm. “I think you care, and that’s refreshing. Zack and you are the only two who’ve come to know me and have stayed with me. I am grateful for that. Which is why I’m going to relieve you of this watch, Cloud. It’s not fair to have you stay in such danger-.”
> 
> “No!” Cloud grabbed the front of his coat lapels bringing him in close. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare push me out of this. I’m already in danger. I saw the orders, sir. I’ve seen too much.”
> 
> “Cloud-.”
> 
> “I’m not leaving you to die! So shut up and just let me help you!”


	11. Getting Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truths revealed, but mysteries thicken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, two chapters in one day! I'll probably be putting up the last three as a set within the next few days. That's right, folks, we are closer to the end than you think. Whoohoo!

Sephiroth’s tone sent chills down Cloud’s spine. “Sir? What’s up?”

Sephiroth flung his PHS onto his bad, bringing a hand up to rub at his temples. “The one person I could’ve gotten more answers from is dead. I’m fairly certain Professor Hojo has been killed.” 

“What?!” Cloud flailed his arms. “But he’s the Head of the Science Department! The Turks are on him 24/7!”

“I’m well aware.” Sephiroth said, terse and tense. “Can’t anything go right this week?” 

“Sir, I’m sorry, but Midgar sounds like a bad idea.” Cloud came over to him. “If Hojo just got assassinated, that tells me you’re not safe back there. We need to make a plan, keep you away from there until-.”

“No, if we stay here-.”

“I’m not saying we stay in Wutai! I’m saying we go somewhere else, anywhere else. Ask Lazard for another mission outside of Midgar. I don’t care where, but it’s too risky to go back.” Cloud got on his knees in front of him. “Listen, sir, you’re stronger than any of us, but you’re not invincible. You bleed, you get injured, you can die. I don’t want that to happen on my watch.”

“Cloud, your honor is commendable, but I won’t run away from this fight. I have to find out who is giving these orders, who is this great threat on the inside wanting to kill everyone? If I don’t, it’s not just my life on the line. Others could die, too, one already has.” Sephiroth brought his hand down, and just let his arms dangle on his knees. 

Cloud stared up at him, willing for the General to see things his way. “That’s what the Turks are for, to figure out and take down the threats. You’re not a threat, Tseng knows that, and he knows you’re the best asset to ShinRa. You two might have the most goddamn ridiculous prank war I’ve ever seen, but you two respect each other. Please, trust him to take care of this.”

“Tseng does what is best for ShinRa, and if ShinRa decides I’m not an asset, he won’t think twice to pull the trigger on me.” Sephiroth put his hands on Cloud’s shoulders. “I can’t stay away, I need to find out more about Jenova, too. If Hojo did lie, and Jenova isn’t an Ancient, then we have to destroy her, wherever she is.”

“Sir, I’m your guard, but I can’t protect you from an entire company!” Cloud shouted at him. “I don’t want you to die!”

“I can see that.” Sephiroth said, keeping his voice calm. “I think you care, and that’s refreshing. Zack and you are the only two who’ve come to know me and have stayed with me. I am grateful for that. Which is why I’m going to relieve you of this watch, Cloud. It’s not fair to have you stay in such danger-.”

“No!” Cloud grabbed the front of his coat lapels bringing him in close. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare push me out of this. I’m already in danger. I saw the orders, sir. I’ve seen too much.”

“Cloud-.”

“I’m not leaving you to die! So shut up and just let me help you!” 

The kiss wasn’t exactly planned. He just, he needed Sephiroth to  _ stop talking _ , and so he did it. As soon as their lips collided, Cloud could feel Sephiroth tense. Maybe he’d get punched for it, maybe he deserved that punch, but screw it. He pushed up, increasing the pressure, just a few seconds longer, before finally breaking away. 

Sephiroth’s face was full of bemusement, like he couldn’t believe that just happened. To be fair, Cloud couldn’t entirely believe he just did it either. He shifted back and turned away. He didn’t want to see the look he’d get after the shock, the anger and the rejection-. 

Strong arms pulled him backwards onto a cot. 

Two gloved hands cradled his face. Silver green eyes shined down at him with a slight glow. Silver hair fell down in a curtain all around him. 

“If I let you stay,” Sephiroth said, breath fanning against Cloud’s lips, “I might survive, but you might die.”

“I know that.” Cloud said, firm and true. “I’m good with that.” 

“And this,” Sephiroth said as he straddled Cloud’s thighs, “would be an egregious breaking of protocol.” 

“Protocol can go to hell.” Cloud felt his cheeks burn red hot. He wondered if Sephiroth could feel it through his gloves. “I need for you to know it’s not just the job keeping me here.” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth’s face crumpled. “I don’t know if I can return your feelings. I’m not made for these things, and I’ve never been very good at them.” 

“Well, alright, I can get that,” Cloud brought his own hand up to cup Sephiroth’s face. “And it’s Genesis too, isn’t it? You’re not ready to give up on him, you’re not ready to watch him die. You’ve lost a lot.” Cloud combed his hand through some of the long hair around him. “But I’m not about to let some jerk who broke your heart be the last person who you think loved you. That’s just not true.” 

Sephiroth opened his mouth to say something else, only to bend down and press his lips on Cloud’s. It wasn’t like Cloud thought it would be. In his fantasies, he always imagined it was like the General taking control of an army, all strength and roughness. Instead, Sephiroth kissed him thoroughly, deep and long. It was like he was savouring Cloud, sucking down his bottom lip, licked along the line. 

It hooked something in Cloud’s heart, discovering this side of him. He brought his hands up slide through Sephiroth’s hair on either side of his head. He didn’t know how long they kissed, just kept holding onto each other and pressing in close. His whole body felt electrified, weighted down by Sephiroth’s form. Their chests touched close enough for him to feel a heartbeat through his shirt. 

Sephiroth broke the kiss and lifted himself up with a groan. “I can’t,” he said, going into a full body shiver. “I can’t let myself be that one exception to the rule. I can’t let myself slip.” He brought a hand down to cover Cloud’s chest. “I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Cloud put his hand over the one on his chest. “I’m cool with a little pain, sir, I can handle you.” He grinned up at Sephiroth, a small playful smirk. “Don’t hold back on my account.”

Sephiroth settled back onto Cloud’s thighs, a heavy weight pinning Cloud down. “Let’s wait, let’s see how things turn out. Who knows, we might make it out alive, and if we do...Then we’ll see.” He returned the smirk with his own. “Until then, you’re ordered to control your libido, trooper.” 

Cloud grinned up at him, squeezing Sephiroth’s hand. “Yes, sir, can do.” 

Sephiroth shook his head as he stood up. “Somehow, I doubt it. Anyways, I have to interrogate Hollander and arrange our transport back. Some of us have real jobs to do.” 

Cloud’s eyes went wide. “Oh you just did not!” He brought made a playful backhand at Sephiroth’s face, but the General caught it easily. 

“I’ll be back soon. Prep our gear for departure within two hours. I don’t want to be here a second longer than that.” Sephiroth gave him a rather fond, soft eyed look. “And if you so wish, you can take care of any...issues I’ve left you with while I’m out and about.” 

Sephiroth got up, stepping off to the side of the bed. Cloud groaned, feeling that hard ‘issue’ tenting up his pants. “I may love you, sir, but I kind of hate you right now.”

The Great General of ShinRa shot him a triumphant smirk over his shoulder before he headed out. 

~~~

Zack got the beep on his PHS with one word he didn’t expect. 

> _ Hojo. _

“Just fucking fantastic,” Zack muttered to himself. He snapped it shut and started pacing in Sephiroth’s office. He just got all the reports of Genesis’ capture, and the following debriefs from Xin about Hollander’s notes. He had shafted that noise straight down to the Science Department, but now knowing Hojo was probably dead, hi shit creek without a paddle! Long time no see. 

The whole idea of having to find someone to replace that maniac, and with the Turks going on a murder mystery in the meantime, everything was just going SPLENDID. Taking a deep breath, Zack started doing a few squats to get his head back on straight. He needed to go talk with the Turks, he needed to have a meeting with Lazard, he might even need to stop by Heidegger’s office for a quick update chat. He decided to do the things quickest first, so to Heidegger’s it was! 

A quick jog to the elevator and a walk down another hallway brought him to the man. The huge doors to the office were decked out in military memorabilia, frames of the man’s accomplishments leading up to the entrance, all an ode to a guy who basically made more wrong decisions than right but somehow still came out smelling like daisies. Zack despised him, but what could he do about it?

He rapped on the door three times, but no one answered. With a roll of his eyes, Zack shouted out, “Yo, Heidegger! It’s Zack Fair, Lieutenant, second to Sephiroth and all. You in there?” Nothing but silence. The dude had to be in there, though, the work day wasn’t done and Shiva knew he didn’t go on missions. “Hey, I’m coming in, don’t get pissed. We need to talk.”

Zack opened the door and froze. Blood, on the walls and chairs. He slapped a hand over his mouth, shocked. Scarlett was dead, hit with two gunshots, one in the head and chest. Heidegger was at his desk, a  bullet right between his eyes. He shakily brought up his PHS and dialed for Tseng. 

_ “Hello?” _

“You need to get to Heidegger’s office asap. We have a massive situation.”

_ “Zack, if this is a prank-.”  _

“Tseng, I’m looking at two dead bodies. That brings the kill count up to three in ShinRa’s walls. You think I’d joke about that?” 

_ “...No, I’ll be there soon. Don’t let anyone else in.” _

“Rodger that.” Zack snapped his PHS shut and immediately sent out a message to Sephiroth. He couldn’t help the panic surging up. Someone was assassinating top ranking elite, and no one knew who or how. Something told Zack it was only going to get worse from here. 

~~~

Sephiroth found Hollander outside the perimeter with his hands cuffed behind his back. Apparently, medical had snapped his wrist back in place and threw a Heal on it right quick while Sephiroth had been...distracted. Absently, the General licked his bottom lip, still tasting a bit of Cloud there. He couldn’t find the energy to berate himself over letting Cloud in, just as he couldn’t find the energy to be particularly threatening as he stood in front of a blustering Hollander shouting random threats at the SOLDIER guards around him.

“Professor, if you’re going to talk, say something useful at least,” Sephiroth said. 

Luckily for him, even half-assing his calm and lethal demeanour, it was apparently enough to cow the man before him. “ShinRa is full of fools! They don’t know the importance of my work. Genesis and Angeal were superior than you, they merely needed to be stabilized, and then-.”

“Not interested. Try again. This time, you’re going to tell me how to find this ‘Holy Water’ without the use of an Ancient.” Sephiroth didn’t really want to ask him about Jenova. He figured he could deal with that bombshell of an origin story later. Besides, the odds of Hollander knowing anything about his alien ‘mother’ or his human birth mother were slim. “If you care at all about Genesis, you’ll cooperate with us.”

“How dare you,” Hollander said with a grimace. “I have spent my life devoted to those two. Losing Angeal was the biggest blow to me. Genesis is all I have left of my research.” 

“Yes, yes, you’re obviously all broken up about it.” Sephiroth waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t think for a second I believe you. Just tell me about the ‘Holy Water,’ or shut up and wait for someone to toss you into a helicopter back to Midgar.”

“If I knew anything about ‘Holy Water’ and how to get it, I would already have it, you daft second rate experiment!” Hollander struggled against his bonds, as if he could wrestle out of them with pure will. 

“Enough,” Sephiroth stepped forward and kneeled down to the man’s level. He locked their eyes together, piercing him with a stare known to be a prelude to a slaughter. “I have no patience left for you. Your insults don’t matter to me, your reputation doesn’t matter to me, I don’t care about your ridiculous competition for success. I just want one thing: the cure for Genesis’ degradation. If you don’t have any ideas mulling around in that soft brain of yours, I will slice your empty head from your neck and be done with you right here.”

Hollander shivered, pursed his lips together. They sat there, in a battle of wills for a while, but it didn’t take long for the weaker man to break. “I wanted to find an answer through the Turk’s network. I heard rumors, whispers on the wind, of a half Ancient secreted away. If anyone would know, it’d be them.” 

“Finally, you show me a modicum of intelligence.” Sephiroth stood up and turned to a guard. “If he tries to escape, shoot to kill.”

“Yes, sir.” The guard said, eyes steely. 

Sephiroth swiveled around and walked away. He hoped Hollander tried, his men deserved the kill after all the pain he’d put them through. Too many deaths at the hands of that scientist and his renegade SOLDIER experiments. 

_ A half Ancient… _

Sephiroth didn’t want her involved, because he knew Zack didn’t want her involved. Besides, even if Aerith was interested in helping, so far as he knew she never exhibited any Ancient traits. A headache started forming at his temples again, and Sephiroth rubbed with his gloved hand. They were getting worse, no doubt due to stress and lack of sleep. He didn’t get them often, but this one persisted. 

Then again, it could be the thought of getting into a fight with Zack, trying to persuade him to put his oh-so beloved girlfriend in danger. The thought of having to get through the Turks to her, with them already on edge with a death in ShinRa. Perhaps he’d go directly to the source, but he wasn’t exactly built for stealth. 

As he walked towards the prep team, he saw Xin coming around with a bag on his shoulder. “Hey, General, just getting these notes from Hollander processed. Weird stuff. The techies scanned and sent everything over to Zack.”

“Good work. I doubt Zack bothered to even glance at it before sending it off to someone else, but good work.” Sephiroth held out his hand. “I might as well have a look before they’re archived.”

“Sure, you do you boss.” Xin plopped the bag into his hand. “I’m going to help break down camp and get the lazy ones movin’ and shakin’.” 

“I’ll be looking over these notes in medical. I want to double check that Genesis is completely immobile and teeth-less before take off.” Xin saluted in approval and ran around him towards the back of the camp, hollering orders as he went. 

Troopers started bustling quicker, lifting and carrying equipment around. Sephiroth moved fluidly through them to his destination. As he entered, he saw a woman medic casting a Sleep spell over Genesis. 

“He should be out for the count, General.” She said, and pointed over to the corner of the tent. “We have his materia and sword collected over there. We also found a PHS in his pocket.” She walked over to a side table. She brought it over to hand to him. “It looks like standard issue ShinRa, but the boys think it’s weird since the service must’ve been shut off.”

“It should’ve been, yes.” Sephiroth snapped open the device, seeing nothing but the Loveless background image from the play Genesis went to regularly. No unread messages, no voicemails, service bars gone. Why keep a phone he couldn’t use? 

“Whelp, I hope it’ll help somehow.” The medic picked up her bag and headed down the line to a trooper that looked a little green around the gills. “Hey there, tell me what’s wrong…”

He let the talk drift into background noise. Pulling up a chair, he put the bag to one side. Staring at the PHS again, he pressed on the different icons. No internet, of course. No new contacts. Sephiroth looked at last calls, but those were months ago. He finally pressed the message icon, and he froze. 

_ My latest bodyguard is a joke. You'd love him, I think. He's got the most ridiculous hairstyle I've ever seen. He makes Zack's look tame. He's not afraid to speak his mind, either. So mouthy, but I'll break him of it soon. _

_ S _

His messages, marked as read. Sephiroth tapped the button down, down, down. All of them. He tried to tell himself it was possible Genesis had just pressed “Mark All As…” and went about his day but then, why else would he keep the phone? Sephiroth stared at the device, unable to understand. Then, his logical side came up with the perfect reason: possible intel. Genesis must’ve hoped that at some point Sephiroth would slip, send something important, since Sephiroth assumed no one was reading them at all. 

It was the only explanation, and he refused to think of any other reason. And he mentally kicked himself, because he might have done that, at some point. He went through the messages, quickly scanning them to see if he had said anything compromising. A hard knot formed in his gut as he did, nerves on edge. Was it possible he sent something that got his army killed at one point? 

For the next half hour, he went over his texts. They were filled with so many mundane things, a few complaints here and there about Hojo, a picture sent on his off day somewhere in Junon. Those came up as recent, the messages he’d sent when he’d calmed down. He knew as he got closer to the day he was left, they wouldn’t be. Sure enough, misspellings, errant commas, and multiple texts one after the other after the other. 

> _ DONT’ DO THIS _
> 
> _ TEHYRE TELLING ME YOU DESERTED!  _
> 
> _ GENESIS ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE _
> 
> _ Where ar yuo? Im not mad just tell me. Why?whats goingon?  _
> 
> _ Gen, Lazardis callingme nonstop _

And, as if flipping the switch, it was the group chat. Angeal, Genesis, and him, talking about the upcoming Sunday featurette. 

> G:  _ Honestly, you two, I can’t sit through another big fist fight orgy of violence. It’s so painfully dull! _
> 
> A:  _ We saw Loveless for the twentieth time with your last Saturday. It’s only fair we do what Seph wants this weekend.  _
> 
> S:  _ I’m not going to fight with you about it, I’ll just go with Zack if it’s an issue.  _
> 
> G:  _ I’m not fighting! I’ll see something else at the same time. We can still eat dinner together.  _
> 
> A:  _ Sounds like a compromise I can live with. Seph, dinner pick? _
> 
> S:  _ You two choose. I’m going to be busy for the next few hours.  _
> 
> G:  _ Sephiroth, choose a restaurant or so help me, I will paint your whole office pink.  _
> 
> A:  _ Gen, don’t be ridiculous. Seph, it’s your choice. Text us back when you’ve got time and have cooled down.  _
> 
> With a timestamp three hours later, S:  _ I suppose Garret’s Grill would be fine.  _
> 
> G:  _ Good, and don’t worry. I’ll call ahead to make sure we get the balcony reserved. I know you like it up there.  _
> 
> S:  _ I would appreciate that. Perhaps we can talk about dessert after.  _
> 
> A:  _ You two know the rules! No flirting on the chat. I’ll see you then.  _

Sephiroth flipped the phone shut and stuffed it into his pocket. So no...No he hadn’t revealed anything important. He closed his eyes and swallowed down a lump of grief. He heard the helicopters start up outside, noticed that most of the medical tent had been evacuated and packed while he’d been ‘working.’ 

“Sir,” a SOLDIER said close to his side. “It’s time for us to transport the prisoner.”

Sephiroth nodded and stood up. He took the bag over his shoulder. “I’ll be in his transport with my guard, Strife. I will be there at take off.” The SOLDIER saluted but Sephiroth could barely acknowledge it. 

He walked out, noticing most tents were down. Now it was mostly just a bunch of men gathering packs and boxes to put into the cargo holds. He walked towards the center of the camp, his mind heavy with unwanted memories. As he approached Cloud, he saw the blond talking animatedly with Xin and Kunsel. 

“Sir!” Kunsel and Xin saluted him, their eyes frenzied with panic. 

“What’s wrong?” Sephiroth asked, snapping out of his reverie. 

“You didn’t see the message from Zack?” Cloud asked, bringing out his phone. “Scarlet and Heidegger are dead, sir. ShinRa is calling a terrorist attack.”

Cloud’s absolutely wrecked expression told him he didn’t believe it. Both of them were of the same mind: Someone didn’t just want Sephiroth, but all of ShinRa to go down. 

“Get everyone up and out now. We can’t waste anymore time.” Sephiroth motioned for Cloud to follow him. “I’m going ahead with Genesis. Catch up with us in the air.” 

“Yes, sir!” Xin and Kunsel said in unison. 

“Sir,” Cloud said as he caught up with him, lugging the gear on each shoulder. “We’re so boned, aren’t we?” 

“Very,” Sephiroth said.

And there was no way to know how screwed they were until they went headfirst into the lion’s den. 

~~~

Cloud held his guts and prayed they wouldn’t spew all over the bottom of the helicopter. Beside him, Sephiroth was getting out motion sickness tablets from a bag and a bottle of water. Across from them was Sergeant Pace, looking at Cloud with a sympathetic expression. 

“Still not over it, huh kid?” Pace asked, as if the answer was really obvious. 

“No, sir, not sure I ever will!” Cloud shouted out over the noise of the rotors. 

He felt Sephiroth nudge him with an elbow so he held out his hand. Two tablets were dropped in, and Cloud popped them into his mouth. The bottle of water came soon after. Cloud uncapped it and chugged. 

“Slower, Cloud, you don’t want to get water sick, Sephiroth said.

Cloud stopped chugging. He capped the bottle and stuffed it into his bag at his feet. “Good point, sir.” 

Pace’s eyes flickered from Sephiroth to Cloud, and back again. “He workin’ out real good for you?” 

Sephiroth shrugged as he leaned back into his seat. “He’s adequate.” Cloud thumped him with the back of his hand before groaning and putting his head between his legs. “Well, he’s good enough when he’s not dying.” 

Pace squinted at Sephiroth, as if trying to gauge his honesty. Sephiroth quirked a brow in return, not entirely sure what this exchange was supposed to accomplish. Pace’s eyes flickered down to the captured prisoner, Genesis, still strapped into a gurney and strapped down even more to the helicopter itself. “Strife was always a pretty level headed trooper, I was shocked when I heard what he did. Glad it ended up workin’ out, I guess, but it’s weird. What was supposed to be his worst assignment looks like he’s been handling...alright?” 

“More so, honestly,” Sephiroth said, recalling his not-so-long ago scare tactics. “I fully expected him to give up within the first few days. He’s surpassed that expectation.” 

“I’m sitting right here,” Cloud said, voice muffled from still cradling his head. 

“Yeah, I’m glad he’s getting another chance at SOLDIER. Really strange the first go round if you ask me, kid was rejected for no good reason if you ask me. We let weight go all the time, hell I was underweight when I came into the program. Look at me now!” 

Sephiroth did look at him, noting the muscle structure, definitely slim in comparison to other SOLDIERs, especially First Class, but as a Commanding Third he couldn’t be belittled. Pace was one of those few SOLDIERs who never really took to the mako injections as he should’ve. His eyes glowed only that faint line around the edges of his iris, but that was it. Sephiroth’s eyes at times were pure silver, then glowed a crystalline green when he felt an extreme emotion, with muscles naturally lean but trained into being buff in his upper body. Cloud was small, but with some mako in his system, Sephiroth wondered if he’d only become slightly buff like Pace or grow into a more stocky figure like Zack. 

He wanted to see it, someday, what Cloud would become in SOLDIER. A little rebellious thought snuck into his mind, of taking Cloud’s files and changing that damn weight so he could get in. He would normally say that breaking the rules of protocol, but with everything in chaos with people dying left and right, he could use someone mako enhanced that he trusted at his side. 

“Indeed, it is a shame. I’m sure with time things will change.” Sephiroth tried to speak as if it was a passing fancy, but he was already latched onto the thought. He immediately began strategizing, figuring out ways to forge Lazard’s signature until it was too late and he had to accept Cloud within the ranks. 

“Sir, whatever you’re plotting, don’t,” Cloud said with his face turned on his knees to look up at him. “Sergeant Pace, I get what you’re trying to do, but I want to go through it all the legit way. I don’t want anyone thinking I got to where I am with special favors.”

A groan interrupted their talk. Cloud tensed and snapped back up to a proper sitting position. Pace gripped his rifle and pointed it at the prisoner. Sephiroth quickly pulled a materia, throwing a Sleep spell over Genesis in less than two seconds. Cloud let out a sigh of relief, but Pace didn’t move from his position for a few seconds longer. A tense silence fell over them, the sudden grim reminder that they had one of the most powerful SOLDIERs ever only a few inches away from them. 

Pace grumbled as he set his rifle on his thigh. “Are we going to put him in containment?”

“Yes, with more Sleep and knock out meds.” Sephiroth pinched his nose. “Headaches are getting worse by the second.”

“Tell me about it, sir,” Cloud said as he put his head between his legs. “This is all one big clusterfuck.”

~~~

Tseng’s meeting with the President and Lazard...didn’t go well. 

All in all, the clean up and response units did fine enough. Scarlett and Heidegger were obviously ambushed, killed before they even had a chance to scream. Tseng suspected a silencer, but he knew for a fact after checking with his people that no Turk took it upon themselves to do the dirty deeds without authorization. Cissinei was helping Shotgun do ballistics with the clean up crew. 

Nothing made sense anymore. Hojo, he could understand. The Professor had an enemy list a mile long, too long to narrow down suspects even. Scarlett and Heidegger? Hated, but no one would hit all three upper echelon targets unless they were on a suicide mission. 

Lazard was popping aspirin and groaning after the President shouted at the both of them for “failing to do their jobs.” Tseng sat in the aftermath of all the yelling, trying to think through everything before Sephiroth arrived with Genesis in tow. It helped, somehow, knowing that Sephiroth wasn’t responsible for any of it. He might not have liked Heidegger and Scarlett, but he wouldn’t have killed them either. Being half a world away definitely solidified his alibi, anyway. 

After the President left, a tense silence filled the room. Neither Tseng nor Lazard wanted to deal with all the complications and mysteries, since both of them knew the odds were good they might never catch this elite killer. However, both of them hated admitting defeat, as did Sephiroth. It what made them a great team during the desertion of Angeal and Genesis. But now? With defeat imminent? 

Zack walked into the meeting room while flipping his phone closed. “How fucked are we on a scale of one to ten?” 

Tseng muttered, “Twenty.” 

“Are we all fired?” Zack asked. 

“Nope.” Lazard stood up, hands gripping his hair. “What the hell is going on?” 

“That’s the question for the week.” Tseng said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. “We can’t even begin to fix it until we know who did it. So far? Nothing. Nothing on cameras, nothing on ballistics, it’s like a ghost showed up and shot all of these people.” 

Zack’s eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped. “You don’t think-?!”

“Of course not, Fair, ghosts can’t shoot bullets,” Tseng said. He tapped a few keys on the table, and a floating screen appeared in the air. He tapped again and a gun appeared. “The shells from a standard issue ShinRa handgun. All troopers, cadets, and Thirds have them as a reserve weapon. That doesn’t eliminate upper level SOLDIERs, though, as those handguns get passed around among military like candy. Not to mention the black market selling of them, putting them in the hands of civilians in the slums.” 

“Oh wow, so we’re looking for a needle in a haystack in a field of barns? Fantastic.” Zack started doing squats. “So any ideas?”

“None.” Tseng said, not bothering to lie. “It’s infuriating.” 

Lazard tapped on the table, bringing up the two camera feeds. “We watch them go about their business. We see Hojo go into a lab, then it’s static for ten minutes, and he’s dead. We see Scarlett enter Heidegger’s office, ten minutes of static, and then dead. Even with the static, where is the murderer coming in and out from?!  We should see someone make an entrance on another feed!” 

Tseng sighed. “Reno and Rude were able to find vents leading to the labs. That explains that, but on an office level with so many people? That’s the way more interesting plot.”

Lazard brought a hand up to work at his temples with his thumb and finger. “I can’t risk another death on ShinRa’s main grounds. We’re sending Rufus away, but the President is being stupidly stubborn and refuses to go.” 

Tseng shook his head. “Sending him away would only cause mass panic. No, best to keep him here, where perhaps we can use him to lure out the assassin.” Tseng tapped on another button to bring up Genesis’ face. “And we have the other problem of bringing in Genesis.” 

Zack started doing squats in the corner. “Sephiroth texted my that Heidegger found some documents saying something called Holy Water might fix him. Here’s the kicker, he says only an Ancient can make the stuff.” 

Tseng filed that away under “Confidential and Problematic.” Aerith was only half, and she never showed much signs of using her supposed powers. He might, maybe, perhaps consider asking her...if Genesis cooperated during interrogation. He needed all the bargaining chips he could get, but Aerith was one he didn’t particularly want to use. 

“Noted,” he said in response, “but that’s not why I bring him up.”

Tseng steepled his fingers together and leaned into the hologram light. “I have an idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: 
> 
> "Tifa?! What are you doing here?" 
> 
> Tifa stared at him in shock. "You don't know?"
> 
> Miss Strife came over to hug her son. "Darling, Nibelheim is gone. The reactor went into meltdown." 
> 
> Cloud broke out from her hug, his arms flailing about in wide circles. "SHIVA'S TITS! She was there the whole time!"


End file.
